Man sentenced to 12 years in Mountie's shooting

Michael Regamy, who pleaded guilty to attempted murder after a Manitoba RCMP officer was shot in the face, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Const. Mike Templeton in 2002.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Albert Clearwater handed down the sentence Tuesday in a courtroom in Portage la Prairie, Man.

Regamy, 24, who made the plea a day earlier, told the court he was sorry for the shooting of Const. Mike Templeton in 2002.

Regamy was travelling in a stolen car with two other people when Templeton tried to pull over the vehicle near Oakville, about 20 kilometres east of Portage la Prairie.

Five shots were fired at Templeton's vehicle, and one bullet struck the Mountie in the face. Templeton has since made a full recovery and is now working with the RCMP musical ride.

The judge acknowledged the gravity of the crime, but said he felt Regamy could be rehabilitated.

He agreed with a joint recommendation from the Crown and the defence on the sentence.

"I think 12 years is a long time, but I think I'll do it," Regamy said as he was taken from the courthouse.

Asked if he had anything to say to Templeton, Regamy said: "Just that I hope he gets better."

Another man involved in the shooting, Daniel Courchene, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2004 after pleading guilty for his role.

That court heard that the two men – who were from Edmonton – had carried out a series of crimes in the week before Templeton's shooting.

They started with a home invasion in Edmonton, then travelled east, stealing vehicles along the way.

Templeton chased them after realizing they were in a stolen car.

Templeton's shooting spurred a provincewide police search that ended two weeks later with a seven-hour standoff at an apartment in Winnipeg's north end.

The men eventually surrendered.

A teenage girl who was with them was sent back to Alberta and also charged with attempted murder. She was sentenced to two years of supervised probation.