Sask. boy sentenced in fatal shooting

One of two boys involved in an unintentional fatal shooting of their 12-year-friend sentenced on Friday.

On Feb. 19, three boys aged 12 to 13 gained access to liquor and a 22-calibre rifle. Intoxicated, they posed with the weapon in photos posted on social media before tragedy struck.

"Elementary school kids had access to a firearm. Posing, playing with the gun. During the course of this event, drinking alcohol. Ultimately, one of their friends was shot as a result of this," defense attorney Brian Pfefferle explained.

The boy was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The two other boys were arrested and charged with manslaughter. Last month, one of them pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge of criminal negligence causing death. He was not the one who fired the weapon. On Friday, he was sentenced to 16 months in juvenile detention, followed by eight months of community reintegration and a year of probation.

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Crown prosecutor Shaela Verma said the sentence serves a dual purpose.

"The purpose of the sentence is always first and foremost to provide a meaningful consequence to the young person, as well as ensure some rehabilitation and reintegration into the community," Verma said.

The sentence was a result of a joint submission from both the prosecution and defense.

"So the sentence that we delivered today was not come to lightly. There was a lot of back and forth between defense counsel and the Crown, and we do feel that ultimately it was the appropriate disposition in this case," Verma added.

Although the boy sentenced was not the shooter, his defense attorney emphasized the shared responsibility.

"He is very much aware that it could have easily been him that was shot, it could have easily been him that was the shooter," Pfefferle said. "Just because he wasn’t the shooter in this particular case doesn’t mean he wasn’t taking responsibility."

The co-accused, facing manslaughter charges, has a trial set for June 2025.