In a court session in Brandon, Manitoba, defense attorneys contended that a young witness, rather than the defendant, discharged the firearm in a deadly shooting incident in 2023, a statement that the adolescent refuted during a rigorous cross-examination. Jeremy John Blacksmith, aged 43, entered a plea of not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and two additional weapon-related offenses linked to the killing of Blaze Tacan, aged 21, on August 5, 2023, in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. Law enforcement from Virden RCMP were summoned to Sioux Valley following reports of a shooting that day, resulting in Tacan being transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Another individual, who was 17 at the time, was also apprehended in connection with the homicide but due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, cannot be publicly identified. This individual, now 19, admitted guilt in January 2025 to juvenile weapon charges stemming from the same incident.
During the sixth day of the trial in the Court of King’s Bench presided over by Judge Elliot Leven, the young witness recounted years of harassment and intimidation he and Blacksmith endured, dating back prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The witness disclosed being armed with a sawed-off shotgun on August 5, 2023, which Blacksmith had provided for self-defense, stored within a backpack. Tensions escalated that month when Tacan allegedly goaded both individuals, prompting the witness to testify that Blacksmith retrieved the firearm from the backpack, presumably to intimidate Tacan, with uncertainty regarding whether the gun was loaded. The witness illustrated Blacksmith’s handling of the firearm aimed at Tacan, portraying the scene to the court. Subsequently, a single gunshot was heard, leading to Tacan’s collapse, after which Blacksmith allegedly instructed to conceal the weapon, with both individuals fleeing the scene shortly after.
Despite the defense lawyer suggesting that the witness discharged the firearm in response to escalating threats and bullying, the witness denied pulling the trigger and maintained his innocence. The defense further insinuated that the witness fired the gun out of fear, suspecting Tacan of being armed and reaching for a weapon. The witness refuted these claims, emphasizing that he did not want to engage in further discussion about the shooting after the incident. No additional questioning was conducted by the Crown prosecutors, while an agreed statement confirmed that the witness was unaware of being accused of the shooting when providing his statement. Blacksmith is scheduled to present his defense testimony the following day.