Hobbema man pleads guilty in toddler drive-by shooting

A 19-year-old male has pleaded guilty to four charges in connection the drive-by shooting of a toddler on the Samson Cree First Nation in central Alberta last year.

Christopher Shane Crane pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, robbery, use of a firearm during an indictable offence, and possession of a firearm during an indictable offence.

He entered the pleas as his trial was set to begin Monday in Wetaskiwin, about 70 kilometres south of Edmonton.Crane will be sentenced in May.

In April 2008, Asia Saddleback, then 23 months old, was hit by a stray bullet during a drive-by shooting.

The bullet tore through the wall of her house, hitting her in the liver and spine as she was having dinner with her family at her grandfather's home.

The little girl survived the attack but spent 10 days in hospital and now has a bullet lodged in her spine.

Asia's mother, Candace Saddleback, faced Crane as she gave her victim impact statement.

"I couldn't even look at him," Saddleback said afterward as her daughter stood beside her outside the courthouse.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this and it's still pretty tough.And then having her come here and she doesn't even know what's going on right now so it's hard on me and my family."

Asia is doing well, Saddleback said. The toddler went to her last appointment with the surgeon last month.

"But they still won't be able to remove that bullet as she gets older.She's going to have to live with it, still," Saddleback said.

Crane is the second person to be convicted in theshooting.

In January, a 16-year-old youth was found guilty of aggravated assault and several weapons offences.

The youth, who was 15 at the time, cannot be identified under provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act.