Ottawa Police Shoot and Kill 30-Year-Old-Man at Elmvale Mall (Jan. 31, 2019)

Ottawa police shot and killed a 30-year-old man early in the morning of January 31, 2019. According to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the unit that examines cases of police harm to civilians in Ontario, police were called to the area of the Elmvale Mall on St. Laurent Blvd at around 7:53 AM. The reason for the call was allegedly a report of “a suspicious person.” At the time of this initial report, no details have been released publicly on what made the person suspicious. At around 8:00 AM shots were fired, and the victim was killed. The SIU has confirmed that a police officer shot the victim.

Man Falls to Death During Police Encounter in St. Catharines, Ontario (Jan. 19, 2019)

A man fell from a bridge to his death during a police encounter in St. Catharines, Ontario early in the day on January 19, 2019. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in Ontario, is investigating the death. According to the SIU Niagara Regional Police were called to a location just south of the city’s downtown. The SIU say that a man was sitting on the Burgoyne Bridge on St. Paul Street West, overlooking Highway 406. They report that some time after police officers arrived, the man went over the edge and landed on the highway below. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

No further details have been provided publicly, including the reason police were called in the first place or why they decided to confront someone sitting on a bridge.

The SIU has assigned five investigators to the case, including one forensic specialist. A post-mortem has been scheduled for Monday, January 21.

Two Dead in Crash During Attempted Police Stop, Nanaimo (Jan. 14, 2019)

Two people are dead in a crash following an attempted vehicular stop by Nanaimo RCMP. The crash occurred on the Trans-Canada Highway near Duke Point on the morning of January 14, 2019. The Nanaimo RCMP officer tried to pull over a white pickup which then crashed into a red SUV. According to the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), the agency that examines cases of police harm in British Columbia, the RCMP turned on the marked patrol car’s lights and sirens in an attempt to pull over the truck at around 12:40 AM.

The BC Coroners Service has confirmed that two people are dead as a result of the crash. Their identities have not been released. It has been reported publicly that the two people killed were the lone male drivers of each vehicle. It has also been reported that the driver of the red SUV was in his fifties.

According to Ron MacDonald of the IIO, the investigation will attempt to address several questions:

“That will include, were lights and sirens engaged? How long were they engaged for if they were? [What were the] speeds involved, distance and time involved? Was the attempt to stop the vehicle terminated at some point? If so, when did that occur in relation to the collision?” (quoted in DeRosa 2019)

MacDonald has also said that it is too early to say with certainty where the officer tried to pull over the truck. According to MacDonald: “How far apart the officer was from the vehicle at the time of the collision is, of course, an important factor for us to consider” (DeRosa 2019).

Police officers are not compelled to provide statements to the IIO. This has been an issue in previous IIO investigations and led the agency to sue the Vancouver Police Department to gain some cooperation in an investigation.

MacDonald has already said that gaining crucial information in this case is “going to be difficult without witness testimony” (DeRosa 2019). No details have been provided regarding why the officer targeted the white truck or why there was an attempt to pull it over.

Further Reading
DeRosa, Katie. 2019. “Police Watchdog Probes Head-On Crash that Killed Two Near Duke Point.” Times Colonist January 14. https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/police-watchdog-probes-head-on-crash-that-killed-two-near-duke-point-1.23598207

Winnipeg Police Shoot and Kill 26-Year-Old Chad Williams (Jan. 11, 2019)

Winnipeg police shot and killed a young man later identified as 26-year-old Chad Williams during the evening of January 11, 2019 in the city’s West End. Winnipeg police claim that at around 7:50 PM officers encountered a man near Sargent Avenue and Maryland Street who they say was acting suspiciously. The man allegedly fled that area, and officers encountered him again in a nearby vacant lot, where they shot him. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he later died. The Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) of Manitoba is investigating the killing.

The killing of Chad Williams was the second officer-involved shooting for the Winnipeg police within a period of 48 hours. On the evening of Wednesday, January 9, a 23-year-old man was treated for a gunshot wound after police officers opened fire on a car at the intersection of Panet Road and Nairn Avenue. The victim in that shooting was injured and taken to hospital but survived.

Devlin Kyle Neyando Identified as Victim of Police Shooting on January 2, 2019

Devlin Kyle Neyando has been identified as the 26-year-old man who was shot and killed by Edmonton police on January 2, 2019. Neyando was originally from Fort McPherson in the Northwest Territories and had been living in Edmonton since his early teens. He was shot by police outside an apartment in the city’s Gold Bar neighborhood.

First Police Killing of 2019: Edmonton Police Kill 26-Year-Old Man (Jan. 2, 2019)

Edmonton police shot and killed a 26-year-old man in the evening of January 2, committing the first known police killing of a civilian in 2019. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) reports that the police were first called to the area where the killing occurred at around 2:30 PM in response to an alleged assault inside a residence in the area of 47th Street and 101A Avenue. Five warrants for a man’s arrest were issued on several charges including assault causing bodily harm and unlawful confinement.

Later that evening, at around 9 PM, police returned to the area and, with the assistance of a canine unit, officers surrounded the residence. They claim they received a tip that the man had returned to the same apartment and broken in. When the man stepped outside, officers discharged their weapons, striking the man who died at the scene.

No further details have been released publicly at this point. None of the claims made by police have been independently confirmed publicly.

This is the second killing of a civilian by Edmonton police in about a week. On Boxing Day Edmonton police shot and killed Buck Evans.