St. Catharines man, teen girl charged with possession of illegal semi-automatic firearm

A St. Catharines man and a teen girl have been charged with possessing a semi-automatic shotgun without a licence.

Niagara police began an investigation in August into the possession of illegal firearms at a St. Catharines residence on Church Street and obtained a search warrant.

The warrant was executed on Aug. 17 and a second suspect was arrested inside the residence.

A Revolution Armoury R4 semi-automatic shotgun loaded with seven rounds and 48 rounds of various ammunition were seized in the search.

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Jason Willis, 51, of St. Catharines was charged with a number of counts, including possessing a firearm without holding a licence, careless storage of a firearm and failing to comply with a probation order.

A 17-year-old girl was arrested and charged with a number of criminal offences related to firearms possession. She cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Niagara police at (905) 688-4111, option 3, extension 1009830.

Anonymous tips can be given online to Crime Stoppers of Niagara or by calling 1-800-222-8477(TIPS).