Alberta teen sentenced to 21 months for shooting German tourist in the head

Almost two years have passed since Horst Stewin was shot in the head and suffered life-altering injuries making him “aggressive and violent.”

ADVERTISEMENT
Image
Sam Edwards High Level Alberta
ADVERTISEMENT

Almost two years have passed since Horst Stewin was shot in the head and suffered life-altering injuries making him “aggressive and violent.” Horst was visiting from Germany and was shot as he drove along a highway on the west side of Calgary, according to CBC News.

Provincial court Judge George Gaschler gave the teen responsible for the shooting a 21-month sentence. He will be released from custody straight away because of the time he’s already served.

The shooter is now 18-years-old and is from Stoney Nakoda First Nation. He was just 16 at the time of the incident, which took place in August 2018.

"You need the support of your family," Gaschler said, "I encourage you to work together with an elder. I hope you are successful."

A sentencing hearing was held by teleconference and included lawyers Balfour Der, Lisa Burgis Der and prosecutor Dane Rolfe.

Stewin’s son Daniel, wrote a victim impact statement describing the tough changes that have been forced upon his family since the incident.

Daniel says his father may lose his house as he is not able to work anymore.

Horst Stewin has turned “aggressive and violent toward his family” since the shooting, according to Daniel who added that his father struggles with speaking and has considered suicide.

The teen responsible was convicted of recklessly discharging a firearm and aggravated assault last October.

The maximum sentence for the teens convictions is 24 months. Youths that are convicted serve a third of their sentence in the community. The teen will start his seven month community supervision right away.

Stewin was in Alberta with his family to celebrate his 60th birthday. He was there with his wife, his son and his son’s girlfriend on Aug. 2, 2018 when the incident occurred.

Stewin stopped their vehicle to take photos on Stoney Nakoda First Nation land—west of Calgary by approximately 55 kilometers.

Stewin’s wife, Ulrike, said that he likes western culture and rides horses.

When Stewin pulled onto the highway again, a car pulled up to the family with the teen and his friends inside.

Stewin’s son first heard a loud noise and assumed it was one of the vehicle’s tires exploding.

The SUV then swerved off the road and into some trees.

The motive is believed to be mistaken identity. The shooter thought Stewin was a man who previously attacked his brother.

According to Gaschler, the teen “had fallen into a friendship with an adult male,” that was “negative and destructive.” The older male gave the boy meth and alcohol.

When testifying, one of the car’s passengers said that the driver told the boy to shoot.

One of the three passengers in the car said they had all been on meth and alcohol at the time.

Stewin was flown back to Germany after he was transported to the hospital. Doctors in Germany then took eight bullet fragments from his brain.

“All of our lives changed,” Daniel Stewin wrote.

The family “still does not live a normal life.”

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in to comment

Comments

Powered by StructureCMS™ Comments

Join and support independent free thinkers!

We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.

Support The Post Millennial

Remind me next month

To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 The Post Millennial, Privacy Policy