Sentences handed down in Barrie catwalk shooting

Sentencing has been handed down to two men who pleaded guilty for their roles in a Barrie catwalk shooting last spring that left the victim fighting for his life.

Timothy White, 22, admitted guilt to aggravated assault and shooting a 45-year-old man in a Letitia Heights neighbourhood on the night of April 22, 2023. He was sentenced to four and a half more years behind bars after being given credit for the year and a half already spent in custody pre-sentencing.

Police had reported the man was shot following an altercation with a group of people. He was rushed to a hospital in Toronto with life-threatening injuries.

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White's coaccused, Jayson Espinosa-Bermeo, 22, of Orillia, was also sentenced Monday afternoon after pleading guilty earlier this year to being the getaway driver that night.

Espinosa-Bermeo was taken into custody Monday morning and sat beside White in the prisoner's box. The judge handed Espinosa-Bermeo a 20-month conditional sentence, including house arrest for the first half, for his part in the shooting.

White, whom police said also goes by the name Logan, was also initially charged with several weapons counts. He was on the run for two weeks before being tracked down by police in Hamilton.

Two other individuals accused in the shooting, Curtis Prince and Meghan Steadman, were each granted bail to sureties. The attempted murder charges against both were later withdrawn. It was learned in court that Steadman has since died.

On Monday in the Bradford courtroom, the Crown read a letter written by the now 46-year-old victim, detailing how he was shot three times and left for dead after refusing to hand over money, resulting in an argument with a group of strangers.

He said despite surviving, his life had been ruined that night.

"Everything has been taken away from me," the Crown read to the court.

The victim described in writing nearly dying of sepsis in hospital and being unable to work after suffering life-altering injuries, including having bullet fragments near his spine and a hernia he described as extremely painful.

He told the court he has trouble standing and sitting and said his leg feels like it's on fire.

"There are many days since this happened that I wish I didn't wake up," the victim's statement continued.

The man later interrupted the court, calling Espinosa-Bermeo's conditional sentence "ridiculous."

As part of his sentencing conditions, White was handed a lifetime weapons ban.