La Loche shootings

According to police, the shootings began at a residence in the 300 block of Dene Crescent, where the suspect shot two of his cousins some time before He shot the first cousin 11 times with a .22 rifle and then went outside to the truck he would use to drive to the school. Outside, he encountered his second cousin, lured him into the house, and shot him twice. He then went to La Loche Community School's Dene Building and began firing at around 1:05, shortly before lunch ended, reportedly with a shotgun. He fired at least six or seven shots inside the building, killing a teacher and an assistant and wounding seven others. The suspect had reportedly posted his intentions on Facebook. Of about 350 enrolled students, around 150 were at school at the time, since many had taken final exams that morning and had no further classes. At the house, Fontaine went to the basement and entered Dayne's bedroom. He grabbed a Mossberg International .22 calibre rifle. At the time, Dayne and Fontaine were the only people in the home. Fontaine went to Drayden's bedroom while carrying the rifle. Fontaine called out to Dayne to come to the basement. As Dayne entered the basement, Fontaine raised the rifle and shot Dayne. Dayne ran up the stairs as Fontaine followed him, repeatedly shooting him in the back. Dayne fell down in the kitchen and Fontaine walked up to him, firing a shot to his head as he begged for his life. Dayne died on the kitchen floor. Fontaine went back to the basement to grab a .30-06 caliber Remington Model 760 pump-action rifle. However, the gun jammed as he tried to load it. After putting down the rifle, Fontaine decided to grab a shotgun and gathered ammunition for the weapon. He also stole the keys to his aunt's truck and shut off Dayne's phone. Janvier and the Fontaine brothers died at the scene, and Wood died later in the local hospital. Seven other people were injured. The four most seriously wounded were flown to and hospitalized at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. All were in critical condition two days after the shootings, according to an official in the Saskatchewan government. A fourth was released on . Her shotgun wounds had left un-removable pellets in her, rendered her nearly completely blind, and had paralyzed her vocal cords, which eventually lead to her asphyxiating. ==Perpetrator==

Police did not release the name of the suspect at the time, as he was protected by a publication ban as required by Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act. On the day of the attack, he was 15 days away from turning 18. After the Supreme Court of Canada appeal, the publication ban was lifted revealing his name to be Randan Dakota Fontaine. After the publication ban was lifted, his court statement gave no rationale for his attack, and Fontaine repeatedly denied he was bullied. He has Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, low IQ, disliked school work, and was upset about how, at the time of the attack, he was attempting to pass 10th grade for the 3rd time. ==Reactions and aftermath==

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman and other Canadian politicians issued statements expressing their condolences and shock at the shooting. Wall pledged counselling support and to cover costs for those travelling to see the hospitalized victims in Saskatoon. Kevin Janvier, the acting mayor of La Loche, and Georgina Jolibois, MP for the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River electoral district, called to have the school torn down and rebuilt in light of the trauma caused by the shootings. On , prior to a hockey game at the Air Canada Centre, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens had a minute of silence for the victims. RCMP Superintendent Grant St. Germaine called the incident the worst shooting tragedy in Canadian history at a high school or elementary school. Reuters reported that it was the worst Canadian school shooting since the École Polytechnique massacre of 1989, in which fourteen were killed. Classes at La Loche Community School were suspended immediately after the shooting. On , the local school board, Northern Lights School Division No. 113, told parents the school would reopen in seven to ten more days, though the reopening was postponed to at least . Plans to tear down the school were considered, but not passed. It said that it was willing to implement a security program at that time, following community discussion on what that should entail. In the meantime, the elementary school building remains open for students to gather, receive counselling, and play floor hockey. Exams for the first semester were cancelled for students who had not taken them on the morning of the shootings. On January 29, Trudeau and Wall visited La Loche, where the former met with community leaders. Earlier that morning, a moment of silence was held in schools located across Saskatchewan. In January 2017, the former principal of Columbine High School, Frank DeAngelis, who wrote a book about his experiences on trauma and healing in the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre, visited La Loche and advised La Loche's school principal, Greg Hatch, and the other staff members about hope. ==Legal proceedings==

On , the suspect was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted murder, and one count of unauthorized possession of a firearm. On October 28, 2016, the teen pleaded guilty to two counts of first degree murder, two counts of second degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder. On May 8, 2018, the gunman was sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole for 10 years. On October 31, 2019, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal upheld his conviction and adult sentence. On April 16, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada refused leave to appeal his conviction and sentence. As a result, he has exhausted all of his legal appeals. ==See also==