A teenage Hobbema gang member was handed near the maximum sentence possible for killing a rival when he appeared in Wetaskiwin Court of Queen’s Bench on Friday.
The youth, who was 15 when he shot and killed Andrew Okeymow, 19, on Nov. 29, 2006, was convicted of second-degree murder by Justice Kirk Sisson of Red Deer.
The accused, who can’t be named because of provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act, will spend another 15 months in closed custody followed by three and a half years under supervision.
The youth had already served 13 months in custody, which equated to about 27 months in jail based on a generally accepted court formula of two-for-one. The closed portion works out to three and a half years.
The maximum sentence under the act is four years in closed custody.
The youth identified himself as an associate of the Indian Posse gang.
That’s one of about a dozen gangs in the Hobbema area that have fought for the last few years for the drug trade.
Court heard the accused was transporting a sawed-off shotgun when he and friend ran into three rivals, including Okeymow.
When the victim turned his back, the youth fired. He told court he thought Okeymow was reaching for a weapon.