SASKATOON – A judge has sentenced a Saskatoon boy to 18 months for killing a 12-year-old friend last year while posing with a gun and pretending to be a gangster.
The 15-year-old boy, who was 13 at the time and cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, earlier pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death.
Judge Lisa Watson ordered the boy to serve one year in open custody and six months under community supervision, followed by 18 months of probation.
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“I do wish you the best,” she said Wednesday. “I know this is a difficult day for you and your family, difficult for (the victim’s) family and loved ones.
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“I expect you to do something with your life. I expect you to move forward in a positive way and I very much hope not to ever see you back in this court building.”
Court heard three boys had been drinking and passing around a sawed-off rifle in a home in February 2024.
An agreed statement of facts says they were taking photos and videos of themselves pretending to be gangsters.
The document says the victim was shot in the head and that the boy who fired the gun thought it was in safe mode.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
