Man sentenced for firing shot that hit random woman in Saskatoon’s core

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A Saskatoon man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for firing an errant shot that hit a random woman who was walking past an alley entrance on 20th Street.

Hunter Eric Harold Matte had pointed the sawed-off shotgun at two men during an altercation when he fired the shot, which riccoched off a building, Crown prosecutor Oryn Holm told a Saskatoon provincial courtroom at Matte’s sentencing hearing last month.

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Court heard the woman was hit in the face, thigh and chest, but none of the shotgun pellets pierced deep enough to puncture her lung. She was hospitalized for one day before she left against medical advice, Holm said.

Although she didn’t provide a victim impact statement, Holm noted that “Getting shot is inherently a traumatic event.”

Judge Donna Scott accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defence after Matte, 22, pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm at a person with intent to wound.

With an enhanced remand credit, he will have about six and a half years left to serve. He is also banned from having firearms for life.

According to the facts read out in court, Matte and another man, both gang members, got into an argument with two men over drug money outside Prairie Harm Reduction and Westside Clinic around 11 a.m. on April 28, 2023.

The incident was captured on surveillance video. One of the intended targets took out a baton-like weapon and swung at Matte, who then pulled a shotgun from his waistband and fired, missing the men, Holm said.

Matte was arrested at a home the next month.

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Reading from the police report, Holm noted that foot traffic is especially busy in this area of the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood.

“Saskatoon’s downtown core has become — and I don’t want to overstate things — but it has become a fairly dangerous place in the last couple years, where this type of thing is not uncommon,” Holm said when presenting the joint submission.

“And this is in large part due to people behaving in ways similar to Mr. Matte, so I think there is a high need for denunciation and protection of the public.”

Court heard Matte’s prior criminal record includes about 30 convictions for property offences, arson, weapons offences and aggravated assault. He was also banned from having firearms at the time of the shooting.

“We are dealing with a young man who is entrenched in a lifestyle that I will say is negative in terms of peer groups and those affiliations and what they tend to do. So that is something that he is going to have to work on so we don’t see him again and again and again,” Holm said.

Defence lawyer Nicole Bree said her client reported having a good upbringing with his mom and stepdad, but was sent to live at a group home when he was 15 as a result of his behaviour.

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Court heard he ran away from his group homes and was “left to raise himself.” He met negative people and started using hard drugs with them, Bree said, adding he doesn’t have much of a relationship with his family.

Matte is remorseful for what happened and thankful that this situation didn’t end up “much, much worse,” she said.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” Matte told court before he was sentenced.

His remaining charges, including another count of discharging a firearm with intent to wound, were stayed.

Holm said there were some triable issues; the victim couldn’t identify the shooter, and the men who were the intended targets didn’t initially want to give statements.

One of them gave a statement when he was in custody months later, Holm told court.

“This is one of those rare cases where it actually got somewhat better with time.”

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