Wednesday, December 31, 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

B.C. restaurants struggle with supply after floods

B.C. restaurants struggle with supply after floods
Restaurant operators in British Columbia's southern Interior are scrambling after flooding and landslides closed highways and rail lines, cutting businesses off from the supply chains they rely on. It's the latest hurdle after 20 months of struggles through the COVID-19 pandemic and a summer of smoky skies from wildfires that wiped out tourism.

B.C. restaurants struggle with supply after floods

Health Canada approves first COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11

Health Canada approves first COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11
Health Canada has approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 in Canada, and the first shipment of doses is expected to arrive in the country by Sunday. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech submitted a request for approval of a child-sized dose of its mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 on Oct. 18.

Health Canada approves first COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11

Merritt, B.C., evacuees seeking help in Kamloops

Merritt, B.C., evacuees seeking help in Kamloops
Barkad Khan wiped away tears Thursday as he made another "frustrating" visit to one of the emergency reception centres set up to help residents from Merritt, B.C., who have been forced from their homes due to unprecedented flooding. Khan said he and his family, wife Afreen and daughters Mahveen and Mahira, were given just 10 minutes to get out before their home was flooded.

Merritt, B.C., evacuees seeking help in Kamloops

Military helps ramp up flood relief efforts

Military helps ramp up flood relief efforts
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has indicated that measures could include an order preventing passage for all but essential travellers as limited access is slowly restored along some highways.

Military helps ramp up flood relief efforts

Domtar mill in Kamloops to be sold with takeover

Domtar mill in Kamloops to be sold with takeover
The companies say the facility will be sold to resolve the Competition Commissioner of Canada's concerns about the implication on the purchase of wood fibre from the Thompson/Okanagan region in British Columbia.

Domtar mill in Kamloops to be sold with takeover

B.C. farmers fight orders to leave to save animals

B.C. farmers fight orders to leave to save animals
The area is under an evacuation order because of flooding in the nearby Sumas River. Police-enforced roadblocks have been set up around the area to prevent people from coming or going.

B.C. farmers fight orders to leave to save animals