David Murray named as defendant in attempted Forbes Street armed robbery

A St. John’s man with a nine-page criminal record was charged with an attempted armed robbery in west St. John’s earlier this week, sparking a major police response.

David Wayne Murray, 32, faces multiple charges including attempted armed robbery, violating the firearms ban, breach of recognizance and breach of probation.

He appeared in St. John’s provincial court Friday afternoon and will remain in custody until his bail hearing Monday.

On Wednesday, a heavy police presence was seen at the intersection of Forbes Street and Bartlett Road.

Some police officers who responded to reports of assault and attempted robbery carried rifles.

At the time, police said they believed the suspect fled with a weapon, adding that the suspect and victim knew each other.

Court documents say police believe Murray was in possession of a shotgun when he attempted to rob a man and woman Wednesday afternoon.

Murray was initially arrested for probation violation. The RNC filed additional charges for the Forbes Street incident while in custody.

Murray has a nine-page criminal record, with convictions for armed robbery in 2003 and breaking into a house in 2006.

Most recently, Murray was convicted of assault with a weapon after attacking another inmate with a broomstick at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in June 2014.

He was found not guilty of the more serious charge of aggravated assault in that incident.