Moncton man who shot teacher gets 10 more years in prison

A Moncton man was sentenced to 10 more years in prison after offering an emotional apology in court to a teacher he shot four years ago.

Janson Bryan Baker, 28, was sentenced Monday on two charges related to firing a shotgun at Christopher Leger and Joshua Hebb on Jan. 5, 2021, in Riverview. 

Leger was hit by shotgun pellets and survived, while Hebb was not injured.

"I apologize to Chris and Josh for my actions," Baker said, through tears, from the prisoner's box. "I made a lot of mistakes."

Court of King's Bench Justice Richard Petrie said Baker's "vicious acts of violence" had a long-lasting impact on the two, referencing victim impact statements they read during the sentencing hearing.

Petrie imposed the sentence jointly recommended by Baker's defence lawyer and Crown prosecutors.

That sentence is nine years for deliberately discharging a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun, and one year for possessing a firearm while on a lifetime prohibition from doing so.

The 10 years will be served once Baker completes an eight-year sentence he's currently serving for other crimes committed the same day as the shooting.

Baker originally faced 16 charges related to the shooting, including attempted murder. Fourteen charges were withdrawn by the Crown following sentencing. 

An agreed statement of facts presented during the trial said Baker was the lone occupant of a Hyundai Elantra on Jan. 5, 2021, on the Riverview High School property when he drove up to Leger and Hebb, threatened them, pointed the shotgun at them and then shot Leger.

It says Baker then fled and was located in Amherst, N.S., the following day. He has been in custody since then.

During the trial, Leger testified that he had just left the school after coaching a varsity boys basketball team with Hebb. 

Leger read his victim impact statement from the witness box, choking up and pausing several times. 

Physical, emotional toll

He recounted feeling terrified and overwhelmed after the shooting while waiting for paramedics, wondering if his children would grow up without a father. 

Once he knew he wasn't fatally wounded, the psychological impact began. He said that included snapping at his children even when they didn't deserve it. He saw people as threats and would sit against a wall facing a door in a public space. 

Leger said he still has nerve damage, numbness in his fingers and a scar on his arm. He said one child calls the scar "Daddy's dots from the bullets and the bad guy."

He said the shooting impacted his teaching career, as well. 

Hebb, who was not wounded, said the emotional impact was significant.

He described being torn between anger and gratitude. Anger at Baker for putting lives at risk, and gratitude for those around him who helped and who have given him strength.

Hebb said the crime was so random that he doesn't fear for his safety at every moment. 

Lawyers outlined on Wednesday why the judge should accept the joint recommendation, which they said was in line with sentences imposed in other similar cases. 

Crown prosecutor Malika Levesque said that no one should expect to be encounter a person with a gun outside a school. 

"Canada is not a war zone," Levesque said.

Alex Pate, Baker's lawyer, told the judge that the sentence recommended accounted for his admission of the crimes and his troubled upbringing. 

Pate said he grew up in a home with a mother who used drugs, and Baker was in his teens when he began using marijuana before moving to acid and cocaine.

Before the judge issued the sentence, Baker was given the chance to speak and apologized for his actions. He thanked God and his mother, who has attended almost all of his court appearances. 

Faces other charges

Petrie later referenced Baker's statements. 

"I took his words and the manner in which he delivered them to be authentic," the judge said.

Baker's defence lawyer told the judge that they don't expect to try to appeal. 

Baker faces separate charges of first-degree murder in the killing of Bernard Saulnier, 78, and Rose-Marie Saulnier, 74, on Sept. 7, 2019, more than a year before the Riverview shooting. 

Trial dates have yet to be set for that case.