Man says woman intentionally sprayed him with a water gun in an Ontario neighborhood where he faced harassment

The man who called police on a neighbor in Simcoe, Ont., after she was sprayed with a water gun – leading to assault charges against her – says there's more to the story and that he has security footage that prove this.

Sheehan Rochester, 49, told CBC News he experienced years of racially motivated harassment from a group of neighbors that escalated into an alleged attack on Sept. 1.

Rochester accuses Wendy Washik of intentionally spraying him, which she says was an accident.

“It was like stripping me of my integrity and my dignity,” Rochester said of the incident.

“We have the right to live in peace in our homes…we don’t need to be spoken to about where we live.”

Washik, 58, told The Canadian Press earlier this month that she engaged in a playful water gun fight with a child during a neighborhood meeting in which she accidentally sprayed Rochester in the chest.

Washik said that despite her apology, he called the police. After Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) arrived, Washik said officers “didn't ask her a single question” and charged her with assault with a weapon – that charge has since been changed to assault.

But security footage from Rochester appears to show a different version of events.

“Very strange and creepy”

Around 6 p.m. ET, Rochester is setting up his lawnmower on his front lawn when Washik walks over, the footage appears to show. No other people can be seen.

She's standing at the end of his lawn and you can hear her saying, “Hey, how are you?”

Rochester appears unresponsive and begins mowing his lawn as Washik watches him for several minutes, occasionally waving.

“It was very strange and scary,” he told CBC.

Then a boy comes from across the street and Washik appears to ask him for a water gun, making a motion with her hands towards Rochester.

The footage does not show the side of the house where Rochester claims he was intentionally sprayed.

At 7:30 p.m. the police pull up and Rochester carries his weed whacker out of the picture.

Washik's interaction with police lasts at least 20 minutes, the footage shows. The officers are seen talking to Washik and other neighbors.

In the background you can hear a man insulting Rochester and shouting that he is a coward.

Washik also curses and shouts an insult directed at Rochester's house.

Defendant describes neighbor as “problematic”

Rochester said this incident was part of a “mob mentality” against him and his family and that he chose not to engage with a group of neighbors, including Washik. He said he has called police about 14 times in the last few years and police have encouraged him to report problems.

He said he reported people trying to argue with him and being racially abused. Rochester said he and his wife also faced comments that she “should be ashamed to be married to a black man.”

Comments were also made about his wife being white, Rochester said.

“It’s hate. You can’t just go around calling people names and making racial slurs,” Rochester said. “I feel like we're being targeted and I have a young family and I have to do what I have to do to protect my family.”

Washik described Rochester to CBC News as a “problematic neighbor” and suggested there was a language barrier, even though they both spoke English fluently.

CBC News spoke with Washik on Friday about Rochester's version of events. She said she stands by her story.

“I never spoke to him except to say 'hi' and be ignored,” Washik said. “We suffer greatly for a little water.”

OPP declines comment on legal proceedings

According to a crowdfunding website, she has raised $6,700 in the weeks since the water gun incident to cover her legal fees. The goal is to reach $20,000.

An online petition calling for the charges against Washik to be dropped has received at least 2,680 signatures.

Washik works as an educational assistant with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and cannot return to work until the case is resolved, she said.

The OPP declined to comment, saying it would be “inappropriate” because legal proceedings are ongoing.

Washik's next court date is in December.

Rochester said that since Washik spoke to the media, the impact on him and his family has been “painful” and “devastating” as violent threats have been made against them online.

“I wish Ms. Washik would tell the truth,” he said. “The impact it has had is far-reaching.”