Tuesday, December 23, 2025
ADVT 
National

Sentencing underway in fatal Walmart shooting

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Jun, 2022 10:39 AM
  • Sentencing underway in fatal Walmart shooting

RED DEER, Alta. - An Alberta judge is being asked to impose a parole ineligibility of 10 years for a man who shot and killed a shopper outside a Walmart store in central Alberta.

Chase Freed, who is 20, pleaded guilty on Monday to the second-degree murder of Jim Williams in Red Deer in December 2019.

RCMP said at the time that a masked man armed with a sawed-off semi-automatic rifle shot Williams, who was 69, in front of his wife in the store's parking lot during an attempted robbery.

Williams died in hospital.

Prosecutor Dominique Mathurin told Justice Eric Macklin that on top of the automatic life sentence, the Crown and defence agree Freed should not be eligible for parole for at least a decade.

Court heard six victim impact statements, including from Williams's wife, his children and from a woman who witnessed the shooting in the mall parking lot.

MORE National ARTICLES

Police officer recovering from stabbing injuries

Police officer recovering from stabbing injuries
Surrey police and Surrey RCMP were called to a home Wednesday evening for reports of a woman screaming and throwing things inside. Police say the suspect attempted to run from officers, prompting a brief foot chase.

Police officer recovering from stabbing injuries

Scrap drug decriminalization thresholds: coalition

Scrap drug decriminalization thresholds: coalition
To date, British Columbia, Toronto and Vancouver have asked Ottawa for section 56 exemption requests under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Use Act, which would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of substances like cocaine, heroine and fentanyl.

Scrap drug decriminalization thresholds: coalition

PBO: Inflation boosts spending on seniors' aid

PBO: Inflation boosts spending on seniors' aid
Federal health transfers are calculated to grow by at least three per cent each year, but the budget office says that health-care transfers are set to rise by almost five per cent year-over-year.

PBO: Inflation boosts spending on seniors' aid

Nanaimo, B.C., couple lose $400,000 in scam

Nanaimo, B.C., couple lose $400,000 in scam
A statement from police says the couple, who are both in their late 80s, were contacted by phone early last year. They were told they had won $18.5 million and a Mercedes-Benz but would have to pay administrative fees in order to collect.

Nanaimo, B.C., couple lose $400,000 in scam

Health workers emergency summit warns of burnout

Health workers emergency summit warns of burnout
Health workers have now endured two difficult years of pandemic conditions, leading to serious burnout across nearly all sectors of the health-care system.

Health workers emergency summit warns of burnout

Trudeau, Polish leaders, discuss refugee crisis

Trudeau, Polish leaders, discuss refugee crisis
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Poland today meeting with Duda and Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as an estimated 100,000 Ukrainian refugees pour into Poland every day.

Trudeau, Polish leaders, discuss refugee crisis