Kane Carter Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2018 Vancouver Shooting That Killed Teen Bystander

Sarah Desjardins

7/10/20262 min read

The man convicted of killing an innocent teenager and a gang member during a Vancouver shootout eight years ago has been sentenced to life in prison.

Kane Carter was found guilty last December of two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of 15-year-old Alfred Wong and 23-year-old Kevin Whiteside.

A second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence. Carter will not be eligible to apply for parole for 17 years.

After accounting for time already served, he will be able to apply for parole in 2039.

Teen Killed While Riding Home From Dinner

Wong was riding in the back seat of his parents’ car on January 13, 2018, when he was struck in the chest by a stray bullet.

The family had been driving home from dinner when gunfire erupted along busy Broadway in Vancouver.

Wong was not connected to the violence. His death sparked widespread grief and outrage across the city.

Speaking outside B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, Wong’s brother, Wilfred Wong, said Alfred is still dearly missed by his family.

“It doesn't feel quite like closure but it's a step in the process,” he said. “We're thankful that through this system that the city will be safer.”

Police Say Killing Shook Vancouver

Vancouver police Insp. Mike Heard, who led the investigation over the past eight years, said Wong’s death caused fear and anger because an innocent teenager had been killed by gang violence.

“What should have been a family night out for the Wongs ended up in a horrifying tragedy that shook the city of Vancouver,” Heard said.

He said Alfred’s death was needless.

Gang Member Also Killed in Shootout

Investigators said Whiteside was trying to kill rival gangster Matthew Navas-Rivas as Navas-Rivas left a restaurant on Broadway.

Crown prosecutors said during trial that Carter opened fire while trying to protect Navas-Rivas.

Whiteside was killed in the exchange of gunfire.

Navas-Rivas was not injured that night, but he was killed a few months later in a targeted shooting in East Vancouver.

Case Took Years to Reach Sentencing

Carter was arrested in 2022 in Gravenhurst, Ont., north of Toronto.

His first trial in 2024 was declared a mistrial, and a retrial was ordered.

The sentencing marks a major step in a case that has remained painful for Wong’s family and deeply significant for Vancouver residents affected by the violence.

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