A Saskatoon judge heard Friday how a 12-year-old boy was fatally shot while drinking vodka and playing with a loaded sawn-off rifle with two friends, ages 12 and 13.

According to an agreed statement of facts filed in court, the trio were videotaping each other drinking and pointing a rifle and a can of bear spray at each other.

“This was reckless and senseless,” prosecutor Shaela Verma said. “Any one of the three could have been shot.”

Both surviving boys were charged with manslaughter following the Feb. 19 shooting. The 12-year-old pleaded guilty last month to criminal negligence causing death and appeared in court Friday for sentencing. The other defendants will go to trial next year.

Judge Lisa Watson accepted the joint sentencing recommendation from Verma and defense attorney Brian Pfefferle. It is stated that the child will remain in custody for 16 months, followed by eight months of intensive community supervision, followed by 12 months of probation.

Pfefferle said the boy, now 13, took responsibility for his actions from the beginning. He said the ages of everyone involved were troubling.

“In front of you is a child who acts like a child but has no care or supervision,” he said.

The children were allegedly in the bedroom of a home on Matheson Drive. They were armed with bear spray and a sawn-off rifle. All three were posing and taking photos and videos with firearms in an effort to look like gangsters.

“As part of the investigation, police seized (the boys’) cell phones. (Saskatoon police) analyzed the phone data obtained from the cell phones. When you examine the videos and photos from that night, you see (the boys) 26 times over a period of approximately three to three and a half hours.” “He was drinking from a one-ounce bottle of Absolut vodka,” he said.

“Meanwhile, you see (the children) taking turns pointing the firearm and spraying each other. It is seen that (the 13-year-old boy) is loading and unloading ammunition into the firearm.”

The time code on the last video police viewed showed the incident was recorded less than a minute before the shooting, the facts said.

After sentencing, Watson spoke to the victim’s family in court.

“One child lost his life and the lives of two children were irrevocably and forever changed,” he said.

“I hope you continue to remember him fondly.”