A Toronto jury on Friday acquitted a 20-year-old man of second-degree murder, accepting his claim that he fired four shots in self-defence, believing the victim — 18-year-old Jefferson Guerrier — was “lunging” at him with a knife outside a high school in the city’s east end.
The fatal shooting just as classes were ending for the day on Halloween in 2022, drew widespread attention due to the proximity to students, one of whom filmed the incident on their cellphone.
Jurors, who deliberated for about a day before returning to the downtown courtroom Friday afternoon, also found the man not guilty of reckless discharge of a firearm that resulted in his brother being shot.
This “understanding” had better be shown to homeowners and others threatened by Toronto’s ferals.
