Youth Sentenced as an Adult in Fatal Shooting of a Casino Winner

  • The defendant was 17 years old at the time of the shooting
  • The victim won about CA$1,500 (US$1,098) at a casino that night
  • Three males entered the house and a struggle led to the shooting
Man behind bars
A man who was 17 years old when he fatally shot a man following a win at a casino was sentenced for manslaughter as an adult instead of as a youth. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

A youth gang member was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison for the manslaughter of a man during a home invasion. The defendant could not be named as he was underage at the time of the October 2019 incident in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Three “Terror Squad” gang members entered the property of 27-year-old Ryan Gatzke after getting a tip from a former Gold Eagle Casino employee that the victim had cash and marijuana at his home.

won about CA$1,500 (US$1,098) that night at the casino

Gatzke had won about CA$1,500 (US$1,098) that night at the casino and was in bed with his wife, who was six months pregnant, when the culprits broke in. A struggle broke out and Gatzke was fatally shot by the then-17-year-old.

The other two burglars and the getaway driver already received their sentences, with the courts taking longer to decide if they would punish the remaining perpetrator as a youth or an adult. The maximum sentence for manslaughter for a youth would be just three years in comparison to a sentence of between four and 12 years for an adult.

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