6 days ago
Calgary boy who bought gun to impress Snapchat group executed teen, judge finds in murder conviction
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A 15-year-old who bought a gun to impress his Snapchat group and then executed another teenager by shooting him point-blank in the back of the head is guilty of second-degree murder, a Calgary judge ruled Monday.
Jal Acor Jal, 16, was fatally shot on March 31, 2022.
His killer can't be named because he was a youth at the time of the shooting; CBC News will call him TK.
On Monday, Court of King's Bench Justice Paul Jeffrey rejected TK's version of events, finding his story that the firearm accidentally discharged "impossible."
On the day of the shooting, the two teens, who had recently met on Snapchat, planned to meet up at the Crowfoot LRT station.
In a previous interview with CBC News, Jal's aunt said that he left his northwest home that night, asking his grandmother what she was cooking for dinner before telling her he would be back by 8:30 p.m., as he had school the next day.
Jal was known as a talented athlete who played on both the basketball and football teams at St. Francis High School.
When testifying in his own defence, TK told the court that he was an outcast at school, bullied and picked on, never invited anywhere or befriended by anyone, which led to him being home-schooled online.
TK also worked for his father, installing vinyl siding.
The Snapchat group
In 2022, he'd joined a Snapchat group where some members discussed guns.
"TK wanted badly to be accepted in the group and so set about getting his own gun," reads part of Jeffrey's conviction decision.
TK tracked down a man who sold guns for cash online and one night, the two met and TK paid the seller $3,000 for a rifle he'd become "quite taken" with.
That same night, TK showed off his new purchase to his Snapchat group.
He got the reaction he'd been seeking. The gun was admired by the group, most of whom had handguns. Jeffrey noted that TK's rifle was "a hit."
The meet-up
TK told the group he'd get "whooped" and "beat" if his parents discovered the gun. He tore open the bottom fabric in his mattress's boxspring and shoved it into the wooden frame.
In his testimony, TK told the court that Jal became interested in the gun and wanted to see it in person.
There was some hearsay evidence, which the judge ruled he couldn't consider, that the purpose of the meet-up was for Jal to buy a pair of sneakers from TK, who had a collection. This is the narrative Jal's family believes to be true.
The two boys met near the Crowfoot LRT station and walked to a grassy field behind a city electrical sub station building, hidden from sight.
The victim carried an empty backpack. The killer carried a long, black shoulder bag with his semi-automatic rifle inside, along with a double magazine full of ammunition.
The contradiction
TK testified that, once at the substation, he handed Jal the gun as well as the loaded magazine.
He said Jal loaded the gun and chambered a bullet and turned toward him. TK testified he "charged forward," grabbing the barrel of the gun from Jal.
There was a struggle, according to TK, who testified he stumbled backwards. He said Jal tripped over his own feet.
The gun "just went off," said TK.
But the evidence showed Jal was shot in the back of the head and a firearms expert testified that more than eight pounds of force was required to pull the trigger.
'In a pool of blood, alone'
Other tests were conducted on the weapon, showing that the gun would not discharge on its own or accidentally.
The evidence also showed a lack of gunshot residue and melted fabric from the hood of Jal's sweatshirt.
When the fatal bullet was fired, the gun was pressed up against the back of Jal's head, Jeffrey ruled.
Within a couple of minutes after the 8:07 p.m. gunshot, security camera footage showed TK running across Crowchild Trail with the black bag across his shoulder.
By 8:20 p.m., a nearby resident spotted Jal's body in the field.
The judge noted the victim was "motionless, in a pool of blood, alone."
Back at his house, TK hid the clothing he'd been wearing and returned the rifle to his boxspring hiding spot.
Justice Jeffrey will hear sentencing arguments from defence lawyer Andrea Urquhart and prosecutor Todd Buziak at a later date.
