Driver pleads guilty in B.C. hit-and-run that killed 3 international students
A driver charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in 2019 entered a guilty plea in a B.C. courtroom Friday.
According to a news release from RCMP, 33-year-old Kamloops resident Reid McNight pleaded guilty to two charges related to the crash.
The fatal crash between a car and McNight’s pickup truck happened on Nov. 3, 2019, around 1:40 a.m. on 1st Avenue and Battle Street.
RCMP previously said that the pickup truck was travelling at a high rate of speed and ran a stop sign, then collided with the other vehicle.
Officials said when officers arrived on scene, two of the car's four occupants were already deceased, while a third succumbed to his injuries a week later. A fourth occupant had non-life threatening injuries.
All four were Nigerian students studying at Thompson Rivers University.
The three students who died in the crash were identified by RCMP as 22-year-old Daniel Okocha, 27-year-old Feyisola Adebowale, and 30-year-old Oluwatosin Adeojo.
Police said after the crash the driver of the pickup truck fled the scene before officers arrived, but was located later that day and arrested.
Mounties said McNight's charges were sworn in almost a year later, following a complex investigation involving several police agencies.
"This was an extremely tragic event for the Kamloops community, particularly for the student body at TRU and its Nigerian population,” Supt. Sydney Lecky of the Kamloops RCMP said in the news release. "Although we know nothing can undo what’s been lost with the lives of these men, or repair the sorrow and heartache suffered as a result, we hope today’s outcome will bring some solace to the victims’ families, friends, and community."
McNight has been sentenced to three years in jail, which will begin immediately.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.