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Russell Curtis Adams, 28, was shot to death January 1st, 2005.

Lyle Chaywee Buffalo, 23, of Hobbema was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and possession of a weapon.

Edmonton did not have to wait long for its first murder of 2005.

At about 8:30 p.m. on January 1st, 2005, a man walked into Lou's Bar and Grill at 15212 Stony Plain Road with a handgun and opened fire on two men.

Russell Curtis Adams died an hour later in Royal Alexandra Hospital.

Injuries to the other man, age 40, were non-life threatening. The man did not co-operate with either police or later with the Crown prosecutor's office when the case went to trial.

Neither had gang affiliations, a police spokesman said.

But Buffalo was known to police and witnesses said he appeared to know the victims, adding to speculation that the shooting was gang-related.

Some media sources reported that Curtis, a father of six, was a low level member of the Redd Alert Gang [reportedly linked to the Hell's Angels motorcycle club] and that he was shot by a member of the Indian Posse [reportedly linked to Asian drug operations].

Lou Mebazione, the bar's owner, saw the entire incident unfold in front of his eyes.

He said five strangers entered the bar – three women who went to the bathroom and their two male friends who remained close the bar, talking.

Mebazione said another man came in and started talking amicably with the two men before pulling out a gun.

"I thought it was a toy gun – that they were playing," said Mebazione.

Suddenly, three shots rang out. After the shooting, said Mebazione, the gunman covered his face and sprinted toward the door.

He said he'd never seen any of the people in his bar before. "This kind of thing has never happened here."

The next morning, at about 1:30 a.m., police pulled over a white Jeep Cherokee with two occupants at the corner of 53rd Avenue and Riverbend Road. A handgun was discovered hidden in the back seat when the vehicle was searched.

Lyle Chaywee Buffalo was taken then into custody and charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of a weapon.

Buffalo's companion, a woman in her 20s, was taken into custody and later released.

On April 23rd, 2007 Lyle Chaywee Buffalo pleaded guilty to manslaughter before Court of Queen's Bench Justice Terry Clackson.

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Wheaton could not establish the intent required for a first-degree murder conviction because Buffalo was clearly intoxicated, according to an agreed statement of facts.

“In the videotape of Buffalo taken prior to the shooting, he is clearly intoxicated,” the statement read.

“Witnesses indicate that he was 'clearly on something' and they describe him as being heavily intoxicated.”

"Based on the Crown's evidence and the intoxication of the accused, the Crown would be unable to establish the specific intent required for murder."

Court heard that Buffalo walked into Lou’s Bar and Grill January 1st, 2005 because his friends needed to use the bathroom.

Buffalo approached Adams, words were exchanged, and he pulled out a revolver and fired three rounds, with one hitting Adams in the abdomen.

A security video taped near the bar a few minutes before the shooting showed Buffalo waving a gun around in a white Jeep Cherokee.

Police at one time believed the shooting was gang-related, but the Crown said in court there was no apparent link between the two men.

At the sentencing hearing, victim impact statements were heard.

Adams's aunt, Adele Willier, looked directly at Buffalo as she read a statement on behalf of her nephew's family.

“Lyle Buffalo, we as a family want you to know the suffering your actions have caused,” she said.

“When you took the life of that child, [his mother's] heart is broken, the pain is too much. Think sometimes of the old man who still makes his solitary visits to the grave of his grandson.”

"Are you proud?' she asked, staring directly at Buffalo.

Throughout the sentencing hearing, Buffalo sat expressionless in the prisoner's box. He showed no emotion as Willier spoke and his face remained blank as the judge issued his decision.

Lyle Chaywee Buffalo was sentenced to 9 1/2 years in prison, but having been given credit for three and a half years for time already served he has six years left.

Buffalo was also banned from owning firearms.

Before sentencing, Justice Clackson used his position on the bench to offer a political statement.

"Unfortunately, it seems as if we come across cases like this one far too frequently and usually it's because someone gets ridiculously drunk and becomes an idiot," said Clackson.

"When you give that person a gun, he becomes a danger to us all."

Clackson apologised to the family in advance conceding the sentence he was about to impose on Buffalo would "only serve to anger them."

The judge noted the victim's family had lost a son and said their pain cannot be healed by anything he did.

"And perhaps it is time for Parliament to revisit the sentences that are imposed on persons who commit manslaughter," Clackson offered.

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