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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Mother testifies about deadly party shooting

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 09/13/2012 11:33 AM

An Elmwood woman told a murder trial this morning that a party thrown by her son at their home had been uneventful until two men burst in and started firing a shotgun.

Crystal Lynn Irvine, 38, said the night erupted into chaos, with the sound of gunfire and young people screaming.

Minutes later, Irvine's son Tyler TJ Hawula, 18, and his good friend Matthew Reynolds, 18, were lying dead on the kitchen floor. A third boy, 17, was wounded.

The shooter and another individual with him ran out the front door.

Two individuals are on trial, charged with two counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder for the December 2009 incident. Their names can't be published because they were 16 and 17 at the time.

Both accused are alleged members of a gang who were looking for revenge after one of them was kicked out of the party.