Barrie men accused of murder in ‘targeted’ 2024 Keswick park shooting await hearing

Barrie men accused of murder in ‘targeted’ 2024 Keswick park shooting await hearing

Two young men from Barrie accused of first-degree murder in a deadly double shooting last fall in Keswick appeared in court for their scheduled preliminary hearing.

Jonn McKay, 20, walked into the Newmarket courthouse Tuesday for the first time since being granted bail in March by three sureties who pledged more than half a million dollars to secure his release from custody.

McKay was charged with first-degree murder alongside 22-year-old Ethan Pashka-McNeil, who remains in jail.

The accused were in court for what was supposed to be the start of their preliminary hearing, but McKay’s lawyer was unable to attend and requested an adjournment.

McKay and Pashka-McNeil were arrested in Barrie September 18, 2024, hours after police in York Region said two men were gunned down at about 7:30 a.m. at Bayview Park in Keswick.

Reilly MacDonald, 21, of Newmarket, who went by the name Stackzz Mac online and 39-year-old Mark Sutcliffe of Stouffville were killed. Investigators said at the time, the shooting appeared targeted and was an isolated incident. Police said all four men knew one another but would not reveal how.

Friends of Sutcliffe remain heartbroken by his death telling CTV News he was loving and loyal and never did anyone wrong. MacDonald was pictured in several social media posts wearing balaclavas with firearms in hand.

In the days that followed the shooting Barrie and York Regional Police officers were out canvassing the area of Browning Trail in Barrie with the K-9 unit and metal detectors.

Steps from where the arrests are believed to have taken place, neighbours along Barrett Crescent in Letitia Heights said police were on scene for two days and at least one of the men arrested lived in the home that was searched.

The preliminary hearing is scheduled to get underway later this week. The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.