powered by:
valneva canada inc.
six-year sentence for man involved in fatal saskatoon gunfight
mohamed abdula ali, 37, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the may 19, 2022 shooting death of brandon baxandall, 29.
aug 7 2024
3 minute read
on may 19, 2022, brandon baxandall was found dead behind an apartment building in the 700 block of melrose avenue in the city's nutana neighbourhood. baxandall and two other men had been shot during a gunfight that broke out around 4:30 p.m.
jpg
a man involved in the shooting death of 29-year-old brandon baxandall has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
justice mona dovell accepted the crown and defence’s jointly submitted sentence for mohamed abdula ali on wednesday in saskatoon court of king’s bench.
after the agreed statement of facts was read out in court, dovell imposed an interim publication ban on it, including the involvement of a co-accused man wanted for first-degree murder.
the statement of facts also outlines ali’s role in baxandall’s death, and cannot be reported pending a scheduled hearing on aug. 27.
at this time, the reportable details of the case come from police. on may 19, 2022, baxandall was found dead behind an apartment building in the 700 block of melrose avenue in the city’s nutana neighbourhood. baxandall and two other men had been shot during a gunfight that broke out around 4:30 p.m.
ali, 37, was arrested three days later and charged with first-degree murder . he pleaded guilty on july 16 to the lesser manslaughter charge, as well as possessing a handgun while prohibited.
on may 24, 2022, an arrest warrant was issued for jonathan ouellet-gendron, 35. crown prosecutor lana morelli told court he has not been found so far. he is one of canada’s 25 most wanted fugitives and the first saskatchewan case featured on the bolo program list.
advertisement
advertisement
homicide suspect jonathan ouellet-gendron is wanted for first-degree murder by the saskatoon police service after a homicide on may 19, 2022 in the 700 block of melrose avenue. he is the first suspect featured on the bolo program’s most wanted list for a crime committed in saskatchewan.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
court heard baxandall had a spouse and two children. his family attended the sentencing and submitted six victim impact statements.
his spouse detailed the struggles of raising two young children alone and having to leave saskatchewan because of ongoing safety concerns. baxandall’s aunt and grandma described him as a sweet, sensitive charmer who was “very attached to his family.”
defence lawyer nicholas stooshinoff also read out portions of nine support letters from ali’s family, friends and third parties committed to helping him reintegrate into society.
court heard ali came to canada from somalia at the age of three and grew up in a marginalized, under-resourced toronto housing complex. he moved west to provide a better life for his five children, the youngest of whom was born just months before he was arrested, stooshinoff said.
in the letters, ali was described as a role model who values the well-being of others. his sister wrote that ali has made mistakes, but can address his issues with the right support and guidance.
“i’m a father myself. my heart goes out to the children the most,” ali told court before he was sentenced.
“i pray for brandon and his family. i don’t expect for his family to forgive me, but that they understand that i am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart. i did not mean any harm.”
advertisement
advertisement
ali also apologized to his five children for “letting them down.”
with an enhanced credit for his time spent on remand, ali has approximately three years remaining on his sentence. while in prison, he is not allowed to contact baxandall’s family and three other men who were present during the shooting.
the saskatoon star phoenix has created an afternoon headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. click here to subscribe.
with some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. click here to subscribe.
share story
