On Canada Day 2020 a 14-year-old Winnipeg boy with a Firearms Prohibition Order against him murdered 27-year-old Danielle Dawn Cote in cold blood.

“I think it’s going to be terrifying and concerning for a lot of Winnipeg [residents] the fact that we would have so much violence committed by such a young individual,” said Winnipeg Police Service Constable Jay Murray.

Not only for Winnipeg residents, but for all Canadians.

The shooting spree began at 2:27am on July 1st, said Constable Murray, and ended with the boy’s capture at approximately 4:00pm on July 2nd. Police recovered what they believe is the murder weapon.

Police say none of the victims knew their 14-year-old killer.

On July 4th, Winnipeg Police said a second suspect, a 15-year-old boy, was arrested at approximately 2:30pm on July 3rd.

Police believe the two suspects were together for all shootings except the shooting at the 100 block of Isabel Street (see timeline below). The 14-year-old was charged for that shooting.

If a motive exists for these senseless acts, police are not saying what it is.

The identities of both murderers are protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), which means two things:

1. We will never know the name of these killers
2. The maximum sentence they face is 10 years, at which point they will be free men.

Both these teenagers already had criminal records, the severity of which we will never know.

We know the 14-year-old was prohibited from possessing firearms, which most likely means his prior convictions were for acts of violence. The Firearms Prohibition Order indicates this boy was already a serious and known threat to public safety.

How this kid got his hands on the gun he and his partner used to murder Danielle Dawn Cote and injure at least three others is a question to which we hope Winnipeg Police will find an answer.

The only consolation for the family of Danielle Cote is her murderers were caught so fast. These two young menaces to society didn’t just kill an innocent woman – they killed the spirit of her entire family as well.

For Danielle’s family and friends, Canada Day will likely be a terrible memory for the rest of their lives.

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To the family and friends of Danielle Dawn Cote, while condolences from a stranger may sound hollow, I am deeply sorry for your loss. I pray you find your way to peace of mind, and I also pray you turn the rest of your Canada Days into an opportunity to remember and honour this young woman taken from you far too soon.

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Charges Filed

A 14-year-old Winnipeg male faces the following charges:

• First Degree Murder
• Attempt to Commit Murder Using a Firearm
• Attempt to Commit Murder
• Aggravated Assault (x2)
• Assault with a Weapon (x2)
• Possession of Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order
• Discharge a Firearm with Intent (x3)
• Failure to Comply with Sentence

A 15-year-old male of Winnipeg has been charged with:

• First Degree Murder
• Attempt to Commit Murder (x2)
• Aggravated Assault
• Discharge a Firearm with Intent
• Fail to Comply with Condition of Release Order (x2)

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Not only is Canada’s Firearm Prohibition Order system broken, it was designed to fail from the very start.

Designed to Fail is a 45-page Special Report which explains, in detail, everything that’s wrong with Canada’s Firearm Prohibition Order system, then outlines a clear plan to fix it.

The only question is… Will the federal government take the action required to keep Canadians safe?

Or will they continue to pay lip service to Public Safety while doing nothing to stop violent, repeat offenders from illegally obtaining guns?

 

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair;

If Britain’s police can pro-actively check on and search violent offenders and registered sex offenders, why can’t Canada’s police pro-actively check on and search the most dangerous people in our society – violent repeat offenders with Firearm Prohibition Orders registered against them?

Firearm researcher Dennis Young learned, through one of his myriad Freedom of Information requests, from 2014 to 2018 police arrested 5,550 criminals who were already prohibited from possessing firearms – an average of 1,110 per year.

When will you pass legislation to track and search these dangerous repeat offenders?

I’ve already done the hard work of creating the plan, Minister Blair.

I implore you to find the political will to draft and pass legislation based on this plan to take meaningful and measurable action to increase public safety – something the Liberal government’s virtue-signalling gun ban by Order in Council will not and cannot accomplish because SOR/2020-96 doesn’t apply to criminals.