William Symes convicted in Crystal Beach can dispute shooting

A Superior Court judge has convicted an 80-year-old Fort Erie man of attempted murder for shooting a woman at point-blank range during a dispute over aluminum cans in Crystal Beach in March 2024.

Justice Catrina Braid rejected William Symes’ claim of self-defence in a decision delivered Monday in Welland, finding he acted out of anger and paranoia when he fired multiple shots, leaving two people with life-threatening injuries and setting up a sentencing hearing later this month.

Details of the ruling and trial evidence were reported by the Niagara Falls Review.

Court heard the shooting unfolded about 6 a.m. March 11, 2024, near Derby and Rebstock roads, where Symes encountered a couple who collected recyclable cans for income. Symes testified he feared the man approached him with a rake, but Braid said the evidence did not support that account and questioned whether a rake was present at all.

“There is no air of reality to the defence of self-defence,” Braid said in her ruling. “He brought a handgun to a rake fight.”

Braid found Symes guilty of attempted murder in the shooting of a 48-year-old woman, concluding he intended to kill when he fired at her face at close range as she sat in her car. She acquitted him of attempted murder in the shooting of the male victim, Christopher Tuttle, but found him guilty of assault causing bodily harm.

Symes was also convicted of several firearms offences, including possession of a prohibited weapon.

The court heard that Symes had fired five shots. One bullet struck a nearby home about 150 metres away. No one inside the house was injured, and the damage was discovered days later.

Tuttle underwent emergency surgery in Hamilton for internal injuries, including a liver laceration and bowel damage. He required a second surgery weeks later and has lost about 45 kilograms because his body can no longer absorb nutrients, the court heard.

The woman, Kirsten Ruegg, was airlifted to hospital after a bullet struck her above the left eye. Surgeons determined it did not penetrate her skull.

Symes testified he carried a .25-calibre handgun for protection and fired into the ground to show he “means business.” Investigators found no bullets in the ground where he claimed to have fired warning shots.

He told the court he fired at the woman’s car out of frustration and wanted her to leave the area.

The couple denied Symes’ claim they had warned him to stay away from certain neighbourhoods while collecting cans.

The confrontation stemmed from competing claims over recyclable materials that carry small cash value, according to police. At the time, aluminum sold for about 45 cents per pound, with roughly 34 cans required to reach that weight.

Symes has remained in custody since his arrest. He is scheduled to return to court later in May to set a date for sentencing.

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