Youth pleads guilty in Bank Street shooting where bullets narrowly missed passing OC Transpo bus

No one was injured in the early evening shooting on July 13, 2023, though three bullets penetrated the outer wall of a cannabis shop.

Published Feb 06, 2024 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 3 minute read

Police investigated a report of shots fired at Bank and Nepean streets July 13, 2023. Photo by User from Reddit /Handout

A 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to firing eight shots across a busy downtown stretch of Bank Street in July, narrowly missing a passing OC Transpo bus and his three intended targets as they ran for cover.

No one was injured in the early evening shooting at 6:48 p.m. on July 13, 2023, though three bullets penetrated the outer wall of a cannabis shop at the corner of Bank and Nepean streets, while the sight and sound of the gunfire was captured by onboard cameras in the passing bus.

Advertisement 2

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office.Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.

SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Article content

Six days later, the three intended targets, all youths, were allegedly involved in the deadly fire at a Booth Street business on July 19, according to an agreed statement of facts read into the court record last week.

One of the youths died in that fire, while the other two are facing manslaughter charges in the alleged arson.

The identities of all four youths are shielded by a publication ban, customary in cases involving minors, and the allegations in the fatal Booth Street fire have not yet been tested in court.

The Crown Attorney’s office has since filed notice of intent that prosecutors will be seeking an adult sentence for the youth who pleaded guilty to the July 13 shooting.

On Friday, the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to possessing a loaded, restricted firearm and to discharging the weapon with intent to endanger the lives of the three other youths. He also pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl and crack cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possessing cash from the proceeds of crime.

According to the facts of the case, outlined to the judge by assistant Crown attorney Matthew Geigen-Miller, the youth was walking down Bank Street on that Thursday evening when he spotted the group of three males, drew a handgun and unloaded eight shots at them from the opposite side of the street.

Advertisement 3

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

He fired two “volleys” of four shots, with the first four shots passing in front of the moving bus and the next four shots fired immediately after the bus passed, Geigen-Miller told court, “effectively sandwiching the bus and its passengers between two volleys of gunfire.”

Ontario Court Justice Robert Wadden was shown surveillance video from inside the bus depicting the moment the shots are fired and the reaction from passengers, while the shooter can be seen on the sidewalk in dash-cam footage.

One bullet was lodged in a parked car on Bank Street and forensic investigators retrieved three bullets from the Bluebird Cannabis shop at 208 Bank St.

All three bullets passed through the front glass window into the store, through the vestibule area and then through a partition wall, Geigen-Miller told court.

The cannabis shop was open at the time, Geigen-Miller said, “and innocent bystanders were present inside the store at the time of the shooting.”

The youth fled from the scene after the shooting, though police caught up with him a few blocks away when two Ottawa police constables spotted him walking through a Lewis Street parking lot.

Advertisement 4

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

The officers arrested him at gunpoint and found a restricted Glock handgun tucked into the waistband of his pants.

Police also found and seized 33 grams of fentanyl, 13 grams of crack cocaine, Oxycocet pills, more than $2,000 in cash, a black digital scale and two iPhones.

The three youths who dodged the gunshots were not immediately identified by police. They fled the scene on foot and, according to the Crown’s outline of the case, never came forward to police to report the incident.

The three youths were later identified through a separate investigation into the Booth Street fire, which became a homicide investigation after the body of one of the young men was found in the building’s charred rubble.

Police at the time appealed for the public’s help in identifying the suspects and released photos of a red gasoline jerry can, along with the label from another gas canister.

Two male suspects were later arrested and charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act with manslaughter, arson and possession of incendiary material.

That matter remains before the courts.

The youth who pleaded guilty to the firearms and drug offences is set to return to court in March.

[email protected]

Recommended from Editorial