Man pleads guilty in West Edmonton Mall 2023 shooting outside venue
Leron Andrew John admitted to carrying a defaced handgun during the August 2023 incident that wounded three people and forced a mall lockdown.
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Leron Andrew John, 27, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Edmonton Court of King's Bench to possessing a handgun with a defaced serial number without a licence, stemming from an Aug. 21, 2023, shootout outside West Edmonton Mall.
John was part of a group of men targeted by a shooter in a white SUV as they exited Wild West Shooting Centre near the mall's entrance. When the shooting started, John pulled out a 9mm pistol and returned fire before fleeing into the mall, where he threw the gun in a trash can. The shootout forced a lockdown of West Edmonton Mall for several hours and wounded at least three people.
John evaded police until early 2025, when he was arrested in the Northwest Territories. He is not currently in custody and will be sentenced at a later date. The shooters in the white SUV have never been identified; the vehicle was found torched in Parkland County.
The charges represent one piece of what remains an unsolved shooting. Police continue to seek information about the gunmen responsible for the initial attack.
Why were the men in the targeted group outside the shooting range that night?
Have investigators identified any motive for the attack?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
What did Leron Andrew John plead guilty to?
Leron Andrew John pleaded guilty to possessing a handgun with a defaced serial number without a licence.
How many people were wounded in the shooting?
At least three people were wounded in the shootout.
When was Leron Andrew John arrested?
John was arrested in early 2025 in the Northwest Territories, after evading police since the August 2023 incident.
