Adult time sought for Ex shooter

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/02/2023 (933 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Justice officials will seek an adult sentence for a Winnipeg teen who has admitted responsibility for the daylight shooting at the Red River Exhibition last summer that sent two boys to hospital and fairgoers scrambling for cover.

A 16-year-old and 11-year-old were struck by gunfire at the crowded midway around 7 p.m., June 20.

Police arrested two 17-year-old males and a 15-year-old girl in a taxi in the Tyndall Park neighbourhood a short time later, and seized a loaded handgun.

One of the males was released without charge.

The now-18-year-old man who wielded the gun has pleaded guilty to one count each of discharging a firearm with intent and aggravated assault.

On Wednesday, Crown attorney Jodi Koffman confirmed at a Manitoba Youth Centre hearing prosecutors will be seeking an adult sentence. The offender was just days from his 18th birthday at the time of the shootings.

No details of the shooting were disclosed in court Wednesday.

A three-day adult sentencing hearing has been set for May.

If sentenced as an adult, he could serve up to six years in custody. The maximum youth sentence he could receive is three years, at least one-third of which would be served under community supervision.

Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, youth are considered to be of “diminished moral blameworthiness,” compared to adults. To persuade a court to impose an adult sentence, prosecutors must successfully “rebut” that presumption and satisfy a judge a youth sentence is of insufficient length to hold an offender accountable.

The female accused has pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a prohibited weapon. She is to be sentenced in April.

The 16-year-old victim was taken to hospital in stable condition and underwent surgery to his abdomen.

The 11-year-old victim, who did not suffer life-threatening injuries, told police at the time he did not know the other victim nor the three arrested suspects.

In the wake of the shooting, the Ex beefed up security at the 120-acre site west of Winnipeg, including additional patrols and sentries along the perimeter of the grounds.

“One of the challenges here is the size of the property,” Red River Exhibition chief executive officer Garth Rogerson said Wednesday. “We have a significant amount of fence line, which is difficult to police.”

Rogerson said security efforts at the time of the shooting were hampered by metal detectors that did not work properly in the rain and a reduction in pat-down searches due to COVID-19 pandemic issues.

Rogerson said it is suspected the accused teens tossed the handgun over the fence before entering the Ex grounds.

A security review completed with the help of Winnipeg police and a security consultant identified additional measures to improve safety for fairgoers, including walk-through metal detectors (similar to the ones used at NFL games), double fencing and permanent sentries at security trouble spots.

“We are very confident it will be a very safe event,” Rogerson said.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca