By Sheldon Spackman

December 2021 Incident

Pair sentenced in central Alberta shooting

Oct 26, 2023 | 3:32 PM

Sentencing has taken place for two men charged in a central Alberta shooting nearly two years ago that sent one man to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

William Edgar Littlechild, 24, of the Ermineskin Cree Nation, was convicted of aggravated assault, and possession of a loaded, prohibited, or restricted firearm, and sentenced on Aug. 8, 2023, to six years in jail, along with a 10-year firearms prohibition.

29-year-old co-accused Zachary Dre Bishop Potts, of Wetaskiwin, meantime, was sentenced prior to that on Jan. 31, 2023, after being convicted on one count of housebreaking with intent. He was given a nine-month Conditional Sentence Order (CSO), along with a firearm prohibition of 10 years.

The pair were originally scheduled for trial in Wetaskiwin Court of Queen’s Bench from Oct. 17-20, 2023.

Littlechild and Potts were charged following an incident on Dec. 5, 2021, when at approximately 3:00 a.m., Maskwacis RCMP were dispatched to a rural residence on the Samson Cree Nation after receiving information that a male had been shot.

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Upon arrival, police located the male suffering from a severe gunshot wound. Mounties say the male was treated on scene by EMS and then transported to an area hospital with life threatening injuries. Witnesses identified two suspects who fled the scene prior to police arriving.

Members of the Maskwacis General Investigation Section (GIS) took over the investigation and identified two suspects. Over the next 72 hours, Maskwacis GIS along with members of the Wetaskiwin RCMP, Wetaskiwin Police Dog Services (PDS), and Red Deer Forensic Identification Services (FIS) would locate and arrest the two suspects.

The suspects were both charged with attempted murder with a firearm, break and enter, uttering threats, and assault.

Littlechild was also charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, knowing possession is unauthorized, and three counts of fail to comply with a release order.

Littlechild was also arrested on outstanding warrants out of Maskwacis and the Wetaskiwin RCMP for various weapons offences. Potts was also originally charged with an additional count of unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Related: Trial scheduled for pair charged in central Alberta shooting

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