Man charged in 'wrongfully-targeted' shooting pleads guilty to lesser manslaughter charge

EPS officers investigating the death of a man early New Year's Day in Edmonton. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)

A man charged in connection to a deadly break-in and shooting at a Mill Woods home has pleaded guilty – but not to the first-degree murder he was originally charged with.

Tevahn Dean Orr instead pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

In an agreed statement of facts the court heard Orr was one of two masked men who broke into the home in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2023.

• Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News Edmonton, right at your fingertips

Barinder Singh, 51, his wife and two daughters were asleep at the time.

Orr was armed with a .45 caliber handgun while his accomplice had a 9mm handgun.

The accomplice fired two shots after breaking through the door, both hitting Singh in the chest.

Hearing the gunshots Singh's wife Jasjeet Kaur and daughter Prabhleen hid in bedrooms.

According to the facts, the accomplice fired three more shots, one hitting Singh's other daughter Tavneet while she hid in the bathroom.

Another of the shots hit Orr, the bullet lodging into a wall which the police later confirmed had Orr's DNA on it.

The pair left the scene in a white pickup truck driven by an unidentified person which was later abandoned and set on fire with the guns inside.

Singh was rushed to hospital but did not survive his injuries. His daughter Tavneet still suffers from a long-term nerve injury.

She glared at Orr as she entered the courtroom for the proceedings before breaking down in tears.

Not long after the shooting the family spoke to CTV News Edmonton about what happened saying it was a random attack.

Police have also said it was a case of mistaken identity.

A date for sentencing is expected to be set in September.