By Medicine Hat News on March 5, 2018.
An assault charge laid against a former Rattlers basketball player following an incident were people were shot with a BB gun from a vehicle last year was withdrawn Monday by the Provincial Crown. No explanation for the withdrawal of the charge against Collin Ralko was given by the Crown, while defence counsel declined to comment. The incident occurred on Nov. 25, 2017, when police responded to the 400 block of North Railway Street at 1:30 a.m., after reports of a vehicle driving past groups of people shooting at them with an air-soft gun. One woman was struck by the BBs in the face, suffering a minor injury. Based on witness description, police located a vehicle a short time later, finding in it two air-soft guns. Ralko and Kieron Burgess, both 22, were each charged with assault with a weapon. Both were members of Medicine Hat College’s basketball team, but were subsequently removed from the squad. In early February, Burgess pled guilty to the charge and was granted an absolute discharge by a Medicine Hat judge. 7