Suspect in Boullee Street shooting faced charges in previous gunfire probes

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A London man wanted in a shooting at a public housing complex that critically injured a man has been charged in connection with three past gunfire investigations, according to court records.

Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Cody Leblanc Ashe, 28, of London for attempted murder after a man was critically injured in a shooting on Sept. 11, last Wednesday, at a townhouse complex on Boullee Street.

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Leblanc-Ashe remained on the lam Monday and the shooting victim was still in the hospital, police said.

The alleged shooter’s unknown whereabouts, and his past violent crimes detailed by The Free Press, left some residents at the Boullee Street complex fearful for their safety.

Leblanc Ashe and another man were charged after a man was shot and another stabbed at a Cleveland Avenue apartment building on Jan. 19, 2019. Leblanc-Ashe, who had just been released from jail three weeks earlier, was charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, firearms offences and breaching probation. He was given a three-year prison sentence, three years’ probation and a lifetime weapons ban, according to court records.

Leblanc Ashe was one of two men charged with a string of gun-related offences after a single shot was fired through the door of an apartment unit at 1588 Ernest Ave. on April 28, 2018. Nobody was injured. The charges of possessing a gun without a licence, carrying a concealed weapon, recklessly shooting a gun, mischief under $5,000, possessing a gun while prohibited and breach of probation were withdrawn, court records show.

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Just six months later, Leblanc Ashe was one of two men arrested following a shooting at 135 Connaught Ave. on Oct. 11, 2018, that injured a man. He was charged with two counts of assaulting a peace officer and was sentenced to 74 days served in pre-trial custody, 18 months’ probation and a 10-year weapons ban, court records show.

Leblanc Ashe also has convictions from 2015 to 2017 for assault with a weapon, harassment and failing to comply with a probation order, court records show. 

A man who witnessed the Boullee Street shooting, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of retribution, said he saw two men arguing in front of a row of townhomes before one of them pulled out a handgun from a satchel-style bag and opened fire on the other one.

The gunfire, the sixth case in London this year, left more than a half-dozen bullet holes in the front door of a unit in the complex operated by London and Middlesex Community Housing.

Leblanc Ashe is described as a Black man standing six-foot-four and weighing 229 pounds with a medium build, black hair, scruffy facial hair and brown eyes. Police asked the public to not approach hm, warning he should be considered armed and dangerous.

dcarruthers@postmedia.com
@DaleatLFPress

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