3 men given automatic life sentences for shooting that killed 12-year-old Toronto boy
CBC
Three men have been given six life sentences each for a shooting in Toronto nearly five years ago that left a 12-year-old boy dead and three other people injured.
In May, a jury found Rashawn Chambers, Jahwayne Smart, and Cjay Hobbs guilty of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting that killed Dante Sebastian Andreatta.
On Thursday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Joan Barrett sentenced the three to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for the first-degree murder charge. She handed each another five life sentences, to be served concurrently, for the five counts of attempted murder.
On Nov. 7, 2020, Chambers and Smart, masked and gloved, opened fire on five teens in a parked car in a lot near Jane Street and Stong Court, north of Finch Avenue W. Hobbs was the getaway driver.
Andreatta was grocery shopping when he was hit by a stray bullet. He died in hospital four days later from a bullet wound to the neck.
One of the teens injured in the shooting, Jonathan Adamski, drove away while the gunmen were firing. His right arm was shattered. Eighteen months later, he died of a drug overdose.
Both Andreatta and Adamski donated their organs.
In her reasons, Barrett told the court that the sentence for the charges must reflect the seriousness of the crime. She noted that 36 bullets were fired that afternoon and described the shooting as shocking.
"The actions of the three accused were carefully orchestrated," Barrett said.
"Particularly disturbing is the video footage from after the shooting. All three returned to a downtown condo and are captured on video in the elevator, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary occurred only an hour earlier."
At trial, Chambers and Smart admitted that they were the two shooters, while Hobbs admitted that he drove Chambers in a stolen car to and from 25 Stong Court, where the shooting occurred.
Barrett said the gunmen went to Stong Court with an intent to kill but their motive is not known.
She described the victim impact statements, delivered by family and friends of Andreatta and Adamski, as "heartbreaking."
In his statement, Sebastian Andreatta said his son was a wonderful boy.
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