Gun thief sent to prison but five stolen handguns never located

A Mississauga man who broke into a Simcoe gun shop and stole five semi-automatic handguns left behind damning evidence of his crime.

Ty William Miller, 31, was first identified by distinctive hand tattoos seen on video surveillance, said Crown attorney Shane Hickingbottom, and then through a palm print and a drop of blood.

Hickingbottom said Miller was already on a 10-year prohibition order against possession of firearms and other weapons at the time of the crime.

“On April 3, 2022, police arrived at Eli’s Guns and Archery on Queensway West to find the front glass door smashed in,” said Hickingbottom.

“Inside, a glass display case was smashed and the glass peeled back. Five 9-mm semi-automatic handguns and several handgun sites were stolen.”

While Miller was pinpointed as the perpetrator and arrested just over two months later, the five guns were never recovered.

Hickingbottom said the missing guns were a great concern in light of “recent events.” Miller’s sentencing hearing was at the end of December, just days after the shooting death of Const. Greg Pierzchala, killed near Hagersville.

“One hopes (the gun used to kill Pierzchala) wasn’t one of those firearms taken from this particular entry, since they have never been recovered,” Hickingbottom said.

Miller was quick to plead guilty, said his lawyer, and apologized to the court, saying he had created problems for his family and the business he targeted.

“You’ll have a lot of time to think about how sorry you are,” responded Justice Aubrey Hilliard, sentencing him to three years in prison.

“The offense is serious on the face of it and made more obvious by the events of the last couple of days where a firearm killed a police officer in the line of duty.

“The prevalence of firearms in our community and the devastation they can cause for all, particularly our first-responders, has never been brought home more keenly as when a young police officer was shot and killed, responding to a car in the ditch.”

Hilliard said Miller couldn’t be held accountable for the eventual use of the guns since there was no information on what happened to them.

The judge noted there was a gap in Miller’s record but he had fallen back into an addiction that seemed to promote his behavior.

“Again, we see the intersection of mental health and addictions in the criminal justice system and the lack of resources in our community,” Hilliard said.

“People who suffer from addictions are victims. Yes, it’s a choice they make but (addictions) impact their choices such as to go and steal guns.”

Miller’s three-year sentence was tempered by the equivalent of 300 days of time already served.

Miller was ordered to pay more than $5,000 in restitution to the gun store. He is prohibited from owning firearms or ammunition for life.

“If you breach this order, there’s no doubt you’ll go back to jail.

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