A 52-year-old man who pleaded guilty to five charges, including aggravated assault, for shooting Toronto criminal lawyer Randall Barrs in the leg twice outside his law office in 2016 was sentenced to nine years and seven months in prison on Tuesday.
Grayson Delong, 52, was originally charged with attempted murder in connection to the shooting but the crown withdrew the charge as there was no reasonable chance of a conviction.
Barrs told reporters outside the Toronto courthouse on Tuesday he is upset by the plea deal and refused to participate in the sentencing process saying this case should have gone to trial.
“If there going to take an aggravated assault, they at least had to insist on the full 14 years, because it’s the worst aggravated assault I can envision because in fact it is an attempt murder,” Barrs said.
“He’s also the worst possible offender. So why they would plea bargain with his lawyer who has absolutely nothing to work with, is beyond me.”
Delong accepted a plea deal last Friday after admitting in Ontario Superior Court that he fired several rounds at Barrs while wearing a reflective construction vest, yellow hat and a blond wig.
The incident, which took place around 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 20, 2016, saw Delong exit a vehicle and approach Barrs with a handgun before firing several rounds.
READ MORE: Suspect charged with attempted murder in daytime shooting of prominent Toronto lawyer
At the time, undercover Halton regional police officers had been following Delong, who was a suspect in several robberies in Burlington, Ont.
After returning to his car, the suspect was fired upon by an officer at the scene and was struck twice. Both Barrs and Delong survived the shooting.
VIDEO: Suspect in shooting of prominent Toronto lawyer appears in court
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Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), had cleared the officer earlier this year of wrongdoing in relation to the incident.
Barrs said he is preparing a civil lawsuit against Halton police for their mishandling of the original Delong case they were investigating.
“We’re suing them civilly because contrary to what the SIU found, I think they’re grossly negligent in the way they handled this thing,” Barrs said. “That guy should have never been able to get out of that car.”
Despite the guilty plea, there is still no motive for the aggravated assault.
“Whoever sent him planned this, probably with his assistance and let’s look at the broader picture. He didn’t expect to get caught,” Barrs said.
READ MORE: Watchdog clears Halton police officer in downtown Toronto shooting
According to a biography on Barrs’ website, he graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School and specializes in homicides, drug crimes, domestic assaults, driving offences, white collar crimes and regulatory offences.
He is described as a criminal defence lawyer with a “national reputation” in “high profile drug and murder cases.”
Barrs has tried significant cases including representing seven men who ran one of the largest marijuana grow operations in Canada out of a former Molson brewery in Barrie, Ont. in 2004.
VIDEO: Eyewitness recounts shooting of lawyer outside Toronto law office
—With files from Catherine McDonald, Adam Miller, Nick Westoll and The Canadian Press
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