Newfoundland Man Gets Seven Years for Shooting Snowmobiler

A shooting that left a snowmobiler with permanent disabilities has resulted in a seven-year prison sentence for Harold Wayne Hynes, 68, of Port au Port West, Newfoundland and Labrador. Justice Trina Simms sentenced Hynes on Monday, October 19, 2026, for shooting Chad Hickey in the head on February 21, 2025, while Hickey was crossing a frozen pond near Hynes' home.

According to the court proceedings reported by CBC News, Hynes pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and careless use of a firearm. The attempted murder charge was discharged after he changed his plea on July 20, eliminating the need for a trial.

Justice Simms delivered the sentence by video conference from a courtroom in Corner Brook. She noted that firing a shotgun endangered Hickey and placed the surrounding community at risk.

Hickey's wife, Alex Hickey, attended the sentencing hearing and welcomed the punishment while acknowledging that no prison term could undo the damage suffered by her family.

"Obviously no sentence is justice enough for what Chad and our family has gone through in the last 20 months, but I am very happy that Justice Simms chose the maximum sentence the Crown presented," said Alex Hickey, Chad's wife.

The shooting occurred at Gravel's Pond, a small saltwater pond near Hynes' residence. Hickey was riding a snowmobile with a friend when Hynes fired his shotgun through a window of his home, striking Hickey in the head.

Hickey was not wearing a helmet and sustained a brain injury. Surgeons removed bullet fragments from his head, but he permanently lost the use of parts of his left side.

He spent 33 days in the hospital before undergoing six weeks of rehabilitation at the Miller Centre in St. John's. During recovery, he had to relearn basic tasks, including dressing himself and tying his shoes.

Alex Hickey described the strain on the family during the recovery period, when she was eight months pregnant with their first child.

"It was a really difficult time, me being eight months pregnant, for our family, our whole community," Alex Hickey said.

During the August sentencing hearing, Chad Hickey told the court that his injuries had deprived him of opportunities to experience the early stages of fatherhood. He was unable to hold his child, secure the child in a car seat or feed him a bottle during his initial recovery.

His wife said his condition has improved enough for him to return to work as a fishing boat captain, although significant physical limitations remain.

"It was really really hard at first. He wasn't able to pick up his own child, buckle him into the car seat or feed him a bottle. But thank God he is doing much much better and we are now able to live our new normal," Alex Hickey said.

Hickey was not present in court when the sentence was announced because he was working aboard a fishing boat. He continues to experience balance problems and has only one functioning hand, restricting the physical work he can perform. His employer has made accommodations that allow him to continue fishing.

Alex Hickey acknowledged that his return to work does not mean the consequences of the shooting have disappeared.

"He puts on a brave face," Alex Hickey said.

Hickey and his wife recently celebrated their wedding, and their son is now 18 months old. The family continues to adjust to the long-term effects of his injuries.

Hynes appeared remotely from Bishop's Falls Correctional Centre and showed little visible emotion during sentencing. He had previously been arrested and charged on March 16, 2025, with attempted murder, aggravated assault and careless use of a firearm.

Hynes had initially pleaded not guilty before changing his plea in July. During the sentencing proceedings, he apologized to the Hickey family, but Alex Hickey said the apology could not reverse what happened.

"I don't take it. He knows what he did. He knows what he did when he pulled the trigger. There are no words that could take that back, unfortunately," Alex Hickey said.

The sentence also includes a lifetime prohibition on possessing or using firearms and an order barring Hynes from communicating with Chad Hickey or members of his immediate family. Hynes previously worked away from home as a millwright and returned to Port au Port West in 2019. He suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which has worsened during his incarceration.