The appeal for the La Loche man who killed four people and injured seven others is set to be heard today.
The man cannot be named because he was 17 years old at the time of the shootings in January 2016.
He was sentenced as an adult to life in prison with no parole for 10 years.
His lawyer, Aaron Fox, said the man should have been given a youth sentence. That would allow him to serve his time in a youth facility rather than a federal penitentiary.
Fox said the man suffers from FASD and other impairments and that these factors were not given enough weight in sentencing.
“It was a horrific offence, there’s no question about that, with far-reaching and tragic consequences. But looking at his level of maturity, our argument is that he should be sentenced as a youth,” Fox said.
CBC’s Kendall Latimer will be covering the appeal at the Court of Appeal in Regina. Follow along on mobile here.
The judge who sentenced the man disagreed, noting he displayed a high level of premeditation and planning.
Fox is expected to make his argument today before the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in Regina. Its not known when the court will issue its decision.
Fox said he knows the people of La Loche want the legal case to be over as soon as possible. Fox said the man has taken several actions to speed things up.
“He did plead guilty. He did accept responsibility for it. He did so at the earliest possible moment. But at the same time, we fully understand why people want to have this finished.”
Aaron Fox is representing the man who killed four and injured several others in the La Loche school shootings of 2016. An appeal of the man’s sentence is scheduled for Thursday in Regina. (Don Somers/CBC News)
Charlene Klyne, who was severely injured in the shooting, said she wants the adult sentence upheld so the publication ban on the shooter’s name can be lifted.
“I’d rather be an adult [sentence] so people know who he is, and what he’s done,” she said.
“I don’t care how old you are, if you’re planning that, you should be in jail and it should be a life sentence for every one of your victims.”
Four people were killed and several others injured in the 2016 shooting. Two were killed in a La Loche home before the shooter proceeded to the local high school, killed two more and injured seven others.
The school entrance and other areas have been renovated since the shootings. There have been improvements to mental health and other services, although some say more needs to be done.
-with files from Bonnie Allen/CBC