'He had so much to live for': Family of 14-year-old boy killed in Regina seeks justice

A 14-year-old boy who was killed in Regina last week was friendly, always had a big smile and loved playing sports, according to his grandmother who is speaking out about the family's devastating loss.

Police officers were called to the 1200 block of Rae Street at about 2:20 a.m. CST Wednesdaywhere they found Jake Longman dead in the alleyway.An injured woman, 32, was also found at the scene and taken to hospital.

Two teenage boys, 15 and 17, are facing charges including first-degree murder andassault with a weapon in connection with the killing, Regina's sixth homicide of 2022. They cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Brenda Longman-Jaeger, Longman's grandmother, says a part of Longman's family died when he did.

"He had so much to live for,"Longman-Jaegersaid."He was just a little child still. He was just learning to live life as a man."

The family, from George Gordon First Nation, about 125 kilometres north of Regina, doesn't yet know many details about the incident, Longman-Jaeger says.

'A fun-loving kid'

Longman-Jaeger recalls Longman always being excited to tell her about playing hockey and practising jiu-jitsu, a Japanese martial art.

"Jake was just really a fun-loving kid," Longman-Jaeger said."He was an awesome kid and he had so much life to live and he would have been your best friend."

Longman's cousin, Hannah Longman, said she has fond memories of playing on the trampoline together.

Longman's family held a vigil for him on Saturday.

"Right now, the family is just trying to pull themselves together and make sense of everything," Longman-Jaeger said.

She saidthe family hopes justice is servedand wants people to help put a stop to"useless deaths happening within our community with guns."