Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION  Winnipeg's child soldiers:
A grim reflection of our failings    • Print   [Update/addition:
Friday, May 9: In putting this piece together, I neglected to
include a city child soldier case which ranks among the worst,
if not the worst, Winnipeg's ever seen: The case of JJT, who was
15 when he and another Indian Posse member shot up a house party
on Alexander Avenue in March 2008. Three were killed and three
severely injured. There was no motive to the crimes, other than
the older IP member, Colton Patchinose, was angry at being
ejected from the party just before the shooting. He went to
fetch JJT and the two shot up the place with handguns. "My son
was taken from me at an early age," JJT's dad told court,
referencing the street gang influence on his son at his
sentencing. JJT recieved a life term. You can, and should, read
more about his background here. But I conclude this brief update
with Justice Colleen Suche's comment on her decision to sentence
him as an adult:   "It