BC man sentenced to 4 years for manslaughter in fatal gun game

A British Columbia man has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter for fatally shooting his friend during what the court described as a reckless "game" involving a firearm and a bulletproof vest. Adam Steenbergen of Sooke received the mandatory minimum sentence following the death of Michael Leier in March 2023.

In a written ruling, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Duncan detailed the events of March 12, 2023. After attending a party together, Leier drove Steenbergen home where both men consumed alcohol and used cocaine. They later drove up a remote logging road, became stuck in snow, and decided to go shooting. Steenbergen helped Leier put on a bulletproof vest. According to the court decision, the plan was for Steenbergen to shoot at Leier, after which Leier would reciprocate. The two had engaged in this activity before, but with a different vest.

In the early evening, Steenbergen fired a single round from a Polymer80 semiautomatic firearm at his friend. The vest failed to stop the bullet. Leier died from a gunshot wound to the chest that caused bone fragments to perforate the sac around his heart and his aorta.