Quadeville, Ont., residents demand answers after girl's attack
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CBC
17 minutes ago
- CBC
Police watchdog clears Edmonton officer who hit man multiple times during 2023 arrest
Social Sharing Alberta's main police oversight agency has cleared an Edmonton police officer who punched a man multiple times during an arrest in 2023. The man had tried to punch the officer after they spoke for a moment, so the seven punches the officer landed were reasonable to defend himself and make the arrest, according to a decision by Matthew Block, assistant executive director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), that was released Tuesday. As a result, Block found there are no reasonable grounds to believe an offence was committed, the decision says. An Edmonton Police Service (EPS) spokesperson issued a statement Tuesday, thanking ASIRT for the review and its findings. A video of the incident, which triggered the investigation, lacked context, the statement said. But EPS appreciates that ASIRT found evidence that "provided this context and subsequently confirmed there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence was committed." ASIRT investigates incidents where police may have caused serious injury or death, as well as "serious and sensitive" allegations of police misconduct, such as sexual assault, fraud and obstruction of justice. Its investigation into this incident, which occurred Feb. 22, 2023, started after EPS learned a video of the arrest was circulating online and then informed the Alberta director of law enforcement. According to the ASIRT decision, police had caught the man speeding significantly and ignored speed bumps. Video shows a white vehicle parking smoothly into a parking spot. A police cruiser parks behind it seconds later. A man gets out of his vehicle and walks toward the cruiser. The officer behind the wheel, who was the subject of the ASIRT investigation, gets out too. They appear to talk with each other. WATCH | Video of Edmonton police officer's use of force during 2023 arrest: EPS use of force under investigation 2 years ago The decision notes that, at this point, the man and police officers provided conflicting accounts. The man, during an interview with ASIRT just over a year after the incident, said he approached the vehicle calmly, asking what was going on and how he could help, before the officer ordered him to return to his vehicle. The officers told ASIRT that the man was confrontational and told them to leave the property. The subject officer declined an interview, as is his right, but supplied ASIRT with multiple reports and his notes. The witness officer did an interview and provided her notes and reports. The video shows the man return to his vehicle. The decision says he told ASIRT he was taking the keys out of the ignition. But the subject officer, who followed him, said the man seemed to be reaching under the seat or console, which led him to believe he may be getting a weapon or hiding something. The officer put his hand on his gun and ordered the man to show his hands, the ASIRT decision says. He said the man complied but kept acting aggressively, so he told him that they had to discuss the driving pattern. The man eventually steps away from the officer again until he is hidden in the frame by a pillar. Another officer steps out of the cruiser. The man had told ASIRT that the first officer permitted him to leave, and he didn't hear the officer tell him to stop. But the officer said he had told the man he was not allowed to leave, the decision says. When the man reappears in the video, he is walking away. The first officer jogs up to him. According to the decision, the officer then grabs the man's left arm and spins him around. The video shows a struggle, during which the man puts his hands up, either to punch the officer or to shield himself. The officer then lands at least four punches before the man drops to the ground. He hits him four more times before he and his partner make the arrest. The man's injuries included a concussion and marks on his face, a left-shoulder injury, cuts from the handcuffs and post-traumatic stress disorder, the decision says. Man swung first: ASIRT Whether or not the man tried to punch the police officer was a major factor in this investigation, said Block, from ASIRT, in the decision. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, police officers have the right to use as much force as is necessary to perform their duties, and that force must be reasonable and proportionate given the perceived threat. Officers, like anyone else, also have the right to defend themselves. The man and officer accused each other of throwing the first punch, according to the decision, and the witness officer told ASIRT she may have missed that part of the conflict while reaching for her stun gun. Block found, however, that the video showed the man took what "appears to be a fighting stance" and clearly tried to punch the officer at least once, the decision says. He also noted that the officer's punches happened within several seconds. As a result, the reasons for using such force would likely succeed in this case, the decision says. So there is no reason to believe the officer committed an offence. Lawyer disagrees The man's lawyer Heather Steinke-Attia, however, disagrees with Block's assessment. "It determines — and focuses on — my client reaching his arm out in front of him, and determining that that was an attempted punch at the officer," Steinke-Attia told CBC News. "He instinctively put his arms up in anticipation that he was about to get punched — which anyone would do — and ASIRT refused to give any consideration to that possibility," she said. The man was charged with obstruction and assaulting a police officer, and issued two traffic tickets — although the charges were withdrawn on Jan. 12, 2024, the decision says. Steinke-Attia felt the decision unfairly weighed the length of time between the incident and when her client spoke with ASIRT. He likely would have been instructed by his then-lawyer to exercise his right to remain silent until the charges were withdrawn, she said. The EPS professional standards branch will review the decision and determine next steps, per the provincial Police Service Regulation, its statement said. Shortly after the incident, the officers' duty status was under review. An EPS spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that they are both on active duty.
CTV News
18 minutes ago
- CTV News
Provincial government's inspection of City of Medicine Hat complete
Calgary Watch The province has wrapped up its inspection of the City of Medicine Hat, conducted after disagreements between the mayor, council and chief administrator.
CBC
19 minutes ago
- CBC
Family of Winnipeg man killed by strangers address court in 'devastating' murder case
Social Sharing The sisters of a man killed when a trio of strangers forced their way into his home almost two years ago wept in a Winnipeg courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors described how Cory Roulette's death shattered his family. "This grief is like nothing I've experienced," Crown attorney Jennifer Comack read from a victim impact statement written by Roulette's sister, Stefanie Menjivar-Noriega, who cried quietly next to the lawyer as she read the woman's words. "This has taken a part of me away." Roulette, 38, was hit with a baton and shot in the chest in his home on Winnipeg's Furby Street in August 2023. Menjivar-Noriega was among a group of Roulette's family members who gathered in court, some wearing T-shirts with a photo of his face on them, for the sentencing of the people convicted in his death. Several wrote victim impact statements, which described the victim as a gentle, funny man and an old soul who loved country music. The group included Roulette's two teenage children, who court heard are mourning the loss of their chance to develop a stronger relationship with him. "That was taken away, and we'll never be able to have that," their victim impact statement said. Prosecutor Comack told Court of King's Bench Justice Sadie Bond the family's loss is "permanent and unrelenting" and said the hole caused by Roulette's death "has deeply impacted all of their lives and will continue to impact their futures." "What happened to Cory Roulette was devastating, inexcusable and 100 per cent avoidable," Comack said. 'I'm going to … shoot the place up' Court heard the events that culminated in Roulette's death were sparked by an argument with an 11-year-old boy. Ramona Harper, one of three co-accused in the killing, was walking with another person outside Roulette's building on the night of Aug. 25, 2023, when Harper started kicking over garbage cans in the back alley. An 11-year-old boy who was visiting Roulette at the time confronted Harper as he stood on Roulette's balcony. The two started yelling at each other, and the boy threatened to shoot Harper, who is now 23, an agreed statement of facts said. Harper then left, saying, "I'm going to get my brothers and shoot the place up," the court document said. Soon after, Harper returned with their brother Raoul Harper, who had a collapsible baton, and their cousin Kyle Harper, who had a loaded, sawed-off rifle. Shortly after midnight, the group went to the second floor of Roulette's building and forced open the door of his suite. Raoul Harper, now 21, hit Roulette several times with the baton — including at least once in the face — and Kyle Harper, now 26, shot him in the chest, the agreed statement of facts said. Roulette was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. His cause of death was the gunshot wound to his chest, the court document said. Vanessa Roulette said she's remembering the victim as her baby brother who was always joking around, but was always there when you needed him. "Cory had that shoulder you could lean on. You didn't even have to be a sibling. You could've just been his friend and someone off the street," she told CBC News in an interview outside court Tuesday. Murder victim's sisters weep during killers' sentencing 42 minutes ago Kyle Harper pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case for pulling the trigger, and faces an automatic life sentence with no parole eligibility for at least 10 years. However, prosecutors and defence lawyers jointly recommended he should wait 12 years before being allowed to apply for parole. Prosecutors asked for Raoul and Ramona Harper, who both pleaded guilty to manslaughter, to be sentenced to eight years in prison for their roles in Roulette's killing. Their lawyers asked for slightly lower sentences of five and between five and six years. When given the chance to speak in court Tuesday, all three accused expressed remorse for their actions and took responsibility for their roles in Roulette's death. "I can't imagine what it must feel like to lose a family member like that," Ramona Harper said. "I am so sorry. And I know nothing I can say or do will make up for what happened, but that won't stop me from trying every day." Meanwhile, Roulette's sister Vanessa said she doesn't wish ill on the three convicted in her brother's death. "They're going to get judged from the guy upstairs. Not from me. Not from my family. You know, Creator has a journey for each of us," she said. Justice Bond reserved her sentencing decision to a later date.
