CANADA • Ethan YELLOWBIRD, 5 ~ Hobbema AB

Ethan Yellowbird, 5

July 11, 2011 - HOBBEMA, Alt. - Young Ethan Yellowbird was sound asleep in his bed when a bullet fired from a gun outside his family's home killed him early Monday morning.

Police say the shooting that killed the five-year-old boy happened around 3:30 a.m. and also injured a woman inside the house in the Samson Cree First Nation, about 100 km south of Edmonton.

Mounties say that happened two hours after another home was shot at, but police still don't know if the shootings are linked.

"I heard some shots, I heard three shots," James Tom, who lives three houses from Yellowbird's home, said. "I just can't believe what happened."

Tom said he was sleeping, as were his children, when he heard the gunfire.

Supt. Curtis Zablocki said gang activity, in what is another fatal shooting in the troubled reserve, has not been ruled out.

"This affects me and it affects everyone in the community," said Samson Cree Nation Chief Marvin Yellowbird, who is the dead boy's grandfather.
"We are devastated. We have to deal with this issue collectively as a community."

An autopsy on Ethan is expected to be finished Tuesday.
Meanwhile, staff at the Kisipatnahk School in the Louis Bull Reserve say they are devastated over the loss of Ethan.

Rosalynn Bull, who was the Ethan's Cree teacher in kindergarten, says he was a talkative young boy who never got into trouble.

"He used to give high fives to all of the custodians here," said Bull, as tears rolled down her cheek.
"We are devastated by this. This is such a huge shock."

An aunt told QMI Agency Ethan had two sisters and a brother, and he was fond of playing video games.

Police were seen coming in and out of a grey and red home that was surrounded with police tape.

It is close to a house where toddler Asia Saddleback was shot in 2008.

She recovered from the shooting, but will have a bullet lodged in her spine for the rest of her life because doctors determined it would be too risky to remove it.

Meanwhile, police say no arrests have been made in the most recent shooting and are asking for witnesses, and those responsible in the shooting, to come forward.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/canada/archives/2011/07/20110711-152750.html

Little boy died from gunshot wound to the head



Updated: Tue Jul. 12 2011 18:02:16

RCMP have confirmed that a five-year-old boy on the Samson Cree Nation died from a gunshot wound to his head.

The little boy has been identified by police as Ethan Yellowbird. He is the grandson of the Samson Cree Nation Chief Marvin Yellowbird.

The cousin of the victim, country music singer Shane Yellowbird issued a statement Tuesday thanking the public for their support.

"I'm saddened and shocked by the tragic loss of my little cousin. Thank you for all your messages of support and sympathy. We all need to continue to work for peace in our communities."

Police believe the shots were fired from outside the residence around 3 a.m. Sunday. The five-year-old boy was asleep in his bed at the time.

"I was sad, it brought tears to my eyes. Why a baby? He did nothing, he didn't deserve this," said resident Peggy Johnson.

An adult female in the residence sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting, and was taken to hospital.

Police will only say they are searching for evidence a day after the shooting.

And while this community grieves, first nation leaders are reaffirming change can be made.

"There is much more that we have to do…we have to demonstrate the leadership and show the courage that's needed to say no more," said National Chief Shawn Atleo.

Investigators say they have not ruled out possible gang activity.

Police revealed a separate house was shot at less than two hours before the little boy was killed. Officers are still looking into whether the two incidents are linked.

Three years ago, little Asia Saddleback was shot in a drive-by in the same community. She survived, but a bullet is still lodged near her spine.

RCMP say there are six loosely-organized gangs organized in the Hobbema area.

The RCMP is asking for the public's assistance in this investigation. If anyone has any information in relation to this incident, they are encouraged to call the local RCMP detachment at 780-585-4600 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110712/edm_boy_110712/20110712/?hub=EdmontonHome

Child murder victim laid to rest

July 14, 2011 - An investigation to find young Ethan Yellowbird’s killers continued Thursday as the young boy was mourned by hundreds in the troubled Samson Cree First Nation reserve.

Mounties say they were canvassing homes in the community Thursday as many friends and family paid their respects during a wake and funeral service for the five-year-old who was shot and killed while he was asleep in his bed Monday morning.

The boy is the grandson of the Samson Cree First Nation’s chief, Marvin Yellowbird.

So far no charges have been made in the case. Investigators say gang activity has not been ruled out in the shooting.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2011/07/14/child-murder-victim-laid-to-rest

Cops plead for help in case of boy's slaying


Search and rescue crews were sent in to search for evidence after a drive-by shooting in Hobbema, Alberta, killed Ethan Yellowbird, a five year old boy. (RYAN MCLEOD/EDMONTON SUN)

July 14, 2011 - Investigators have concluded an extensive search to find evidence in and around a home where young Ethan Yellowbird was fatally shot, say Mounties.

Sgt. Patrick Webb, a spokesman for the RCMP, said police are now canvassing homes in the Samson Cree First Nation townsite to get more information about the shooting tragedy on the troubled reserve.

So far, investigators say they are getting full co-operation from residents in the gang-plagued community.

"With the fact there has been an injustice of this magnitude, this has struck a chord with the community," said Webb.

"With that said, we still need people to come forward."

Ethan Yellowbird, 5, was shot while sleeping in his bed early Monday morning.

Police say the fatal bullet came from outside the house, which has a total of 10 bullet holes.

ANOTHER SHOOTING

They say the shots were fired at 3 a.m., after another shooting of a house nearby at 1 a.m. in the troubled community, about 90 km south of Edmonton.

Investigators still don't know if the two shootings are linked, and gang activity has yet to be ruled out in both cases, say Mounties.

The boy was the grandson of the Samson Cree First Nation's chief, Marvin Yellowbird.

Meanwhile, a hometown country music singer says he's saddened by the loss of his cousin.

"I'm saddened and shocked by the tragic loss of my little cousin," said country music singer Shane Yellowbird in a statement on his website.

"Thank you for all of your support and sympathy. We all need to continue to work for peace in our communities."

The singer turned down a request for an interview.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2011/07/14/cops-plead-for-help-in-case-of-boys-slaying

A child's death, a nation's shame
July 14, 2011

Maybe Ethan Yellowbird's death will make a difference. Maybe the tragedy of a five-year-old shot in the head while sleeping in his bed will finally bring action on the dismal conditions on his Alberta reserve at Hobbema and across Canada.

It's a hope, at least, even though we have, collectively, ignored the tragic and unnecessary deaths of thousands of other aboriginal children. Infants on Canadian reserves, for example, are twice as likely to die as non-native children. If a community, or a province, had that kind of terrible death rate, there would be anger and action. But we have done little to prevent the needless deaths of all those children.

Hobbema is a mess. The Ermineskin and Samson First Nations bands that make up most of the community's population have great advantages - productive farmland, millions in revenues from oil and gas reserves on their land, access to schools and opportunities in Edmonton, about an hour away.

But the community is plagued by poverty, drug use and gangs. Drive-by shootings are common. In 2008, the community rallied against gang violence when a toddler was shot - not fatally - as she sat at her kitchen table.

And there is little reason to expect things to change for the better without a major effort.

Consider the numbers. Ethan Yellowbird was a member of the Samson nation. His grandfather is chief. According to the 2006 census, about 3,300 people lived on the reserve. The median age was 20; 37 per cent of the population was under 15.

There were 765 families on the reserve - couples, with or without children, and single parents. And 345 of them, or 45 per cent, were single-parent families. That's more than three times the rate for the rest of the province.

The median family income was $19,776, compared with the Alberta median of $73,823.

The unemployment rate was 27 per cent. Thirty-four per cent of residents over 15 had a high school education or better, compared with 76 per cent of Albertans.

The numbers offer a limited portrait of a struggling community - poor, undereducated and underemployed.

And the large numbers of young people growing up without hope of a better future suggest decades of struggle ahead.

Hobbema is not an anomaly.

Outgoing federal auditor general Sheila Fraser offered a bleak assessment of First Nations issues last month. During her 20-year term, she said, there had been little progress even on critical issues like drinking water quality. In some important areas, like housing and education, things worsened over the last decade. The federal government's failure to set standards and provide adequate funding for education - as provinces do for non-native communities - seems particularly stupid, given its importance in breaking the cycle of deprivation.

Fraser offered common-sense solutions. The government should, as provinces do, set out clear standards for the services it will provide and meet them. Funding should be adequate and stable to allow long-term planning. Bands should be accountable for their role in achieving the desired results. Effort is needed on building the capacity to provide services; non-native communities have structures - school boards and health authorities - to ensure effective delivery of services and accountability. Bands need the same.

The starting point is simple. Canadians - including First Nations - have to say the current situation is unacceptable.

Or we can continue to count the dead and damaged.

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/child+death+nation+shame/5100938/story.html

Mounties continue to probe tips in Alta. toddler's death


A drive-by shooting in Hobbema, Alberta
killed five-year-old Ethan Yellowbird.

The public tip that led RCMP investigators to a 25-year-old male suspect in connection with illegal firearms on the Samson Reserve at Hobbema, Alta., may or may not be the tip of the iceberg.

As of Friday morning, there was no official link between the arrest and the unsolved July 11 shooting death of five-year-old Ethan Yellowbird, said Const. Perry Cardinal of the Hobbema detachment.

"We don't know if they are a suspect in the shooting itself or just a suspect in possession of an illegal weapon," Cardinal said.

"There was no charges laid against that person yet -- we're still continuing our investigation," he said. "Charges are under consideration at this time ... we did seize one firearm-related item."

An RCMP press release issued Friday said while information continues to flow in from the public, investigators believe there are people who know more than they are telling about the night Yellowbird was shot to death in his bed in a spray of gunfire from outside his Samson Townsite home.

The boy was the grandson of the Samson Cree First Nation's Chief Marvin Yellowbird.


"Investigators feel that there are still persons who hold important information about this and other crimes who have chosen to not provide the details. These people need to realize that crime can only be fought in their community if they make the choice to assist the police or to endorse these and future criminal acts with their silence," the release read. "If anonymity is a concern then people are urged to contact Crime Stoppers so their information is passed on for investigation but their identity is protected."

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