La Loche Mayor Robert St. Pierre outside Meadow Lake Provincial Court on June 16. Photo by Chelsea Laskowski.
A defence report and letters asserting that the La Loche rampage shooter has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder has led to a delay for the sentencing arguments in his case.
A Gladue Report and letter stating the male shooter, now 19, has signs of FASD was submitted in Meadow Lake Court by the shooter’s defence lawyer on Friday. The offender, who killed four and wounded seven on January 22, 2016, cannot be named because he was 17 at the time of the shooting. The prosecutor requested a chance to cross-examine witnesses on this evidence, which led Judge Janet McIvor to adjourn court until Sept. 1 for cross-examination and final arguments.
Earlier this year, the Crown presented evidence that the shooter should be sentenced as an adult while defence called witnesses who support his expected argument that the shooter should be sentenced as a youth due to the circumstances that led to the shootings. The offences took place at a home in the village, with the shooter killing teen brother Dayne and Drayden Fontaine, and at the community’s high school where the shooter killed educators Marie Janvier and Adam Wood. Earlier video evidence from the school showed the horrific 11-minute scene at the school, where the shooter paced the halls either running or walking quickly while gripping a shotgun.
Friday’s proceedings did not come as a surprise for La Loche’s mayor Robert St. Pierre, who said “a little birdie” gave him a heads up. Outside court, he told media there is an extra sense of anxiety that comes with having to wait longer because “a lot of people I think want to move this process forward and move onto their healing journey.”
However, the adjournment does present an opportunity for the divided community to come to a decision on whether it is in its people’s best interest for the eventual sentencing decision to be rendered in La Loche or in Meadow Lake.
“It’s still a toss-up. I’m still not sure where that’s going to lead and we still need to have more consultation and at least we’ve got another week before that happens,” said St. Pierre.
He pointed out that there are teachers and others away on holidays that will be returning for school, and he can now seek their guidance on the topic.
The sentencing arguments are to be heard in Meadow Lake on Sept. 1, while a date for the Judge McIvor’s final decision has yet to be set.