Ibrahim Ali was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for his involvement in a fatal Burnaby hit-and-run incident earlier this year.
The accident claimed the life of 25-year-old Emily Sheane on March 10.
Police said at the time of the accident, a man and a woman were seen speeding in a dark-coloured Range Rover down Willingdon Avenue just after midnight. The vehicle then ran a red light and crashed into a red Toyota travelling on Deer Lake Parkway.
Sheane, who was driving the Toyota, was killed upon impact. She was coming home from work at Joe Fortes in downtown Vancouver.
A coworker told Global News Sheane had worked there for eight years. She started as a busser and worked her way up to front of house staff. She also did graphic design work on the side. The coworker described Sheane as “artistic, vibrant and always had a smile on her face.”
Ali, a United Nations gang associate, was arrested days later in Creston, B.C. and charged on March 17, 2016 with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and leaving the scene of an accident where the death occurred. The 18-year-old woman that was arrested in Creston with Ali appeared in court on an unrelated matter and was not charged in relation to the hit-and-run.
Following the sudden death of Sheane, condolences poured in for the young woman on social media — many calling her “talented” and “a beautiful person.”
At his sentencing hearing today, Ali said in a prepared statement to Sheane’s family that he was “scared and a coward”.
Ali was then sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail minus time served.