ATPN National News
Three youths pleaded guilty to manslaughter Thursday in the shooting death of a five-year-old boy last summer.
Ethan Yellowbird was shot in the head while he slept after the three youths, 13, 16 and 17, told the court they took turns shooting at a home with a loaded rifle on the Samson Cree Nation in Alberta.
The guilty plea carries a maximum three-year sentence.
Some members of the community say that is not enough.
APTN National News reporter Noemi LoPinto has more on this including how the community lives in fear of gangs.
I hope that these youths have to sit in a healing circle and see the pain that they’ve caused reflected in the eyes of the family and friends of this little boy. I don’t think that a max 3 year sentence is enough, especially if they don’t have to serve probation afterwards. They need to face the family before there can be any hope of rehabilitation, even if they originally thought they were just playing around and didn’t intend to hurt anyone.
There needs to be more recreational activities, more parent involement in their child/rens lives…better yet send the pre-teens on a vision quest. Create a whole child.