The couple remains in jail after being charged in the Summerside gun incident

A man and a woman remain in custody following a weapons incident over the weekend that led Summerside police to charge one of the accused with attempted murder.

A legal aid lawyer representing Andre Kimball Gotell and Kayla Emily Sonier, both 32, made a brief appearance in provincial court on Monday.

Gotell is charged with attempted murder and seven other weapons-related offenses, according to court records. Sonier faces four weapons-related offenses, including pointing a firearm.

After their lawyer told the judge that the case involved a lot of material, he granted both defendants an adjournment. Sonier is due back in court on Wednesday and Gotell in a few weeks.

The couple were arrested on Saturday afternoon after police issued an emergency alert and asked residents in the Spring Street and Convent Street area to stay in their homes.

Police said they first became aware something was going on around 7:50 a.m. when they received a report that a gun had been fired during an altercation at a residence on Spring Street.

The house where the incident occurred is well known to police, said Jason Blacquiere, deputy chief of Summerside Police Services. (Steve Bruce/CBC)

“When [there are] “Whenever firearms are involved or there is evidence that firearms are involved, there is always a risk,” said Jason Blacquiere, deputy chief of the Summerside Police Department.

“That is why we have deployed negotiators and an emergency team to carry out the arrest on the spot.”

Shortly after 2 p.m., crisis negotiators from the Summerside Police Services and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of Prince Edward Island were able to make contact with the suspect and negotiate his surrender. A 65-year-old woman was also arrested but later released.

The person who was the target of the alleged murder attempt was not injured in the incident, police said.

Police believe the three people arrested know each other. The victim was not chosen at random, they said.

Saranya and Anuraj Kumar live nearby with their young son. (Steve Bruce/CBC)

Police said they were still in the early stages of their investigation and were gathering evidence and speaking to witnesses to determine the exact nature of the incident.

Looking back on Monday, neighbor Lucy Mitchell said she was relieved that it was all over quickly.

“I never thought this would ever happen, never, not in a million years,” she said.

Saranya Kumar was one of the residents who found the whole thing a little surreal.

“I have only seen these scenes in films,” said Kumar. “At first we were scared. Then we felt [secure] because of all the police officers who are still here. So we feel safe.”