A Toronto judge has sentenced a 20-year-old man to 14 years in prison in a July 2012 shooting at a barbecue that killed two people and injured 22 others.
Nahom Tsegazab pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of Shyanne Charles, 14, and Joshua Yasay, 23.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Tsegazab was shot twice at the barbecue. As the shooter fled, Tsegazab drew his gun and fired 11 rounds at the gunman who retreated into the crowd.
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As he fled into the crowd, an unknown third gunman fired 14 rounds from a 9-millimetre Uzi, hitting Charles and injuring others. Yasay was shot in the heart and lungs but it's inconclusive which gun killed him.
Another man, Shaquan Mesquito, who was 18 at the time, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting. He's also facing an attempted murder charge for allegedly shooting Tsegazab.
Justice John McMahon said Tsegazab was a party to the shooting but the Crown couldn't prove whether it was his bullets that killed Charles and Yasay.
"He participated in the gun fight and encouraged others to shoot," McMahon said.
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Tsegazab — an alleged member of the Galloway Boys gang — addressed the victims' relatives directly, begging for forgiveness and promising to change his life.
"So long as he is sincere in what he is saying, I accept it. Don't say it to make me feel good. It won't work; it's not about me," Shyanne's grandfather Tyrone Charles said outside court.
"They can give him 25 years and it wouldn't be enough because my granddaughter and Joshua wouldn't (be) coming back," Charles said.