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  Man shot and injured outside of Kingsway Garden Mall

  Edmonton Police Service members responded to a 911 call concerning a disoriented, bleeding male who was in possession of a knife outside the Kingsway Garden Mall. Five or six police officers surrounded the man, who refused to obey their repeated orders to put down the knife and lie down on the ground. When the man refused to obey these orders and attempted to evade the police, he was pepper-sprayed several times. However, the witness says the man was not deterred by the spray and began charging at police. At this point, the witness said the police used a taser to try stop the man and this also did not work to stop him. It was at this point that one of the officers shot the man and he went down to the ground. The man was treated in hospital. An ASIRT investigation concluded with no criminal charges for the officers involved. The injured man faced several charges resulting from the incident, the outcome of which the Archive team was unable to locate.
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  Man killed by gunfire during struggle with police

  On May 10, 2009, two police officers confronted Shawn Price and attempted to arrest him for an armed robbery that had occurred minutes before. Price pulled an object from his pocket and threw it on the ground - the object was a crack pipe, which according to some reports the police may have believed was a weapon, causing them to escalate and try to take Price into custody. Price resisted the officers' attempts to handcuff him, and as he wrestled with Constable Horchuk, the other officer Constable Gowin struck him with her baton several times. Price pulled at various elements of Cst Horchuk's uniform before placing his hand on the officer's holstered service pistol. Cst Horchuk yelled to Cst Gowin that Price was "going for my gun". Cst Gowin first shot Price in the back, and when the altercation continued, she shot him again in the chest. As Price and Cst Horchuk continued to struggle on the ground, she placed her foot on Price's head and prepared to fire again, at which time he stopped struggling. (Source: Public Fatality Inquiry). Price's girlfriend, who was a witness to the event, told media that police shot Price when he was already "under control" and on the ground, although another witness claimed Price was standing when he was shot. He was treated on the scene by emergency medical services personnel and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The incident was investigated by ASIRT and was the subject of a Public Fatality Inquiry, both of which found the officers acted appropriately in the situation.
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  Recording the Police printable

  PDF document describing citizens' rights when recording police violence in Canada
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  Recording the Police flier - digital image

  A digital image for online distribution containing information about citizens' rights when recording the police.

• 2 EPS officers charged with assault in relation to a Oct 2019 arrest

  Two Edmonton Police Service officers have been charged with one count of assault each; the alleged assault occurred during an arrest on Oct 2, 2019. No details about the arrest were given. On Oct 22, 2020 a complaint was submitted to EPS and an investigation began that day. Const. Winter received an appearance notice on Nov. 18, 2021 and Const. Wynnyk on Nov 22, 2021. As of Nov. 19, 2021, the two officers are working "non-public facing positions with the EPS" and the allegations against them have not been tested in court (CTV News, Nov. 19, 2021).
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  Edmonton police shoot and wound suicidal man armed with a pellet rifle

  On the twenty-seventh of December 2015 just beforeat 3:52 AM a drunk fifty year old man called 911 informing the dispatcher that he was going to kill himself with a gun as well as that he wanted to commit suicide by cop. At 4:05 another man in the house told the dispatcher that the man had been drinking and that he only had a pellet rifle. Two police officers arrived shortly afterwards at the house at 149 Street near 85 Avenue in an unmarked police car with their sirens and lights blaring and the man walked outside pellet rifle in hand, threatening to shoot them. Taking cover behind their vehicle the two officers drew their weapons and demanded the man drop the gun or they would fire upon him. He disregarded their command and continued shouting at, and walking towards them whereupon the officers shot twice and hit the man in the leg a single time. The whole incident lasted about a minute. He was then taken to the hospital where he was treated for his wound.
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  Multiple Edmonton Police shoot, kill man after traffic stop for outstanding warrants

  On the twenty-sixth of December 2018 at 2:00 PM Buck Evans, his girlfriend Melissa Dumais and a friend were stopped in their truck by multiple police officers in at least four vehicles. Thirty-four year old Evans was wanted in connection with an ongoing investigation and had several warrants against him for other alleged crimes. Evans had been barred from owning a firearm since 2018 but was believed to be armed by the police and indeed was traveling with a SKS semi-automatic rifle at the time. After being stopped, the trio were ordered to exit the vehicle with Dumais and the other passenger complying but Evans in the back refusing. According to ASIRT after Evans refused to comply, he fired his weapon but according to Dumais Evans was not holding his rifle when she left with it being on the truck’s floor instead. Video filmed by a witness in a nearby apartment does not confirm if he did use his rifle. While blurry and taken from a distance, it shows about four police officers facing the truck demanding Evans exit it. One officer fires a shotgun and eight seconds later, after further demands for Evans to exit unleash a volley of gunfire. There is then a pause with further shots being fired with a total of about thirty being fired. Several bullets hit the neighbouring apartment buildings with at least one passing through into a bedroom. It is unclear whether Evans fired his weapon during this time and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Evans' girlfriend believed the police response constituted use of excessive force. An ASIRT investigation is ongoing.
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  Racist images posted in canine unit locker room

  A pair of images were posted in the canine unit locker room containing racist caricatures of Black and Indigenous people. One shows what appears to be a minstrel-show-style Zulu warrior in front of a cutout of a police dog, below the words “Buddy’s First Get em! Get em!” Another image features the cover of the children’s book The Indian in the Cupboard, with the titular character saying “Beny will never find me in here!!” After an investigation by EPS' Professional Standards Branch, the officers involved were directed to undergo a 'restorative justice' process with members of Edmonton's Black and Indigenous communities, the details of which are unspecified in media reporting.
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  Edmonton Police beat Indigenous man after being stopped because he had no bell on his bike

  On August 27, 2019, EPS Constable Curtis McCargar stopped Elliot McLeod -an Indigenous man- either giving no reason as to why (according to McLeod) or because he did not have a bell on his bicycle (according to McCargar). McLeod gave a false name to the officer and either immediately rode off or did so as McCargar entered the name in his cruiser’s computer. McCargar then pursued McLeod in his vehicle while radioing for assistance. After catching up, McCargar tackled McLeod and proceeded to punch him in the back of the head several times. By this point Constable Michael Partington had arrived by vehicle and immediately delivered a diving knee strike between McLeod's shoulder blades causing McLeod to scream in pain telling the officers to stop. At no point during this, according to McLeod, eyewitness testimony, and video evidence was he resisting. The two officers then handcuff McLeod and drag him into a police cruiser. McLeod was charged with four offences, including resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. Police were sent a video of the incident filmed by a bystander, but withheld it from prosecutors for four months following the incident. When the video was disclosed, the charges against McLeod were stayed, and Constable Partington charged and convicted for assault. Cst. Partington was relieved from duty without pay on the day of the arrest, a decision which he appealed for judicial review by the Court of Queen's Bench. His application was dismissed by a judge in 2021.
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  Edmonton Police sued after officer allegedly kicks Indigenous youth in the head

  At about 4:15 a.m. officers responded to a trouble not known call at a home in the area of 62 Avenue and 178 Street with reports that a fight involving a weapon was taking place inside. During the search, police asked Pacey Dumas and his brother Blair, who is a year older, to step outside. Both complied. Blair was placed in handcuffs, while Pacey was ordered laid face down on the sidewalk with his hands out. “Suddenly and without warning (Todd; the officer) moved swiftly to Pacey and while in motion kicked Pacey in the right side of his head with such force Pacey was immediately rendered unconscious and bleeding,” After the alleged assault, Pacey was “dragged” by two unknown officers to a spot two houses away. It claims none of the officers who attended the scene gave Pacey medical attention.
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  Officers kill woman wielding toy gun

  Around 2pm on January 16, 2010, 911 dispatch received a call from Bernadette Auger (48) over a dispute she was having with her adult sons, requesting police presence, but partway into the call Ms. Auger's common-law partner, George Coward, told the dispatcher that Ms. Auger was drunk, and not to send officers, then hung up the phone. Dispatch called the number back and informed Mr. Coward that police were en route. When the two dispatched officers arrived at the walk-up apartment at 119th Avenue and 84th Street, they went inside, where they encountered Ms. Auger on a stair landing, holding what appeared to be a gun (but was later determined to be a toy Airsoft gun painted black). Ms. Auger pointed the "gun" at the officers and followed them down the stairs and outside as they retreated from the building, but went back inside after the officers crouched behind a vehicle to call for assistance. While inside, Ms. Auger called 911 again, and had a conversation with the operator in which she asked to speak to the police outside, apologized, and indicated she had a gun. She then went back outside, where there were now at least 5 police officers including a Dog Master with a police dog. When she came outside, the Dog Master Detective Kassian determined she was not a serious threat and stood from cover to release the dog. Ms. Auger saw him stand up and raised the "gun" in his direction. While the officers called for Ms. Auger to drop the gun, the police dog "got confused" (per the provincial fatality inquiry) and bit another police officer on the leg. In the Fatality Inquiry, the possible reasons given for the dog's confusion were that Ms. Auger was not moving, which is not the scenario police dogs are trained for, and that Ms. Auger was wearing a white t-shirt against the backdrop of snow, so the dog was unable to focus on her. Immediately after Ms. Auger raised the "gun", Detective Kassian raised his own service weapon and shot her in the head. Another officer stationed across the road, Constable Bondarchuk, shot Ms. Auger in the neck simultaneously. Ms. Auger was killed instantly, with both shots occurring near simultaneously. A third and fourth officer attempted to fire on Ms. Auger at the same time but were interrupted by the police dog attack. In the following investigation, it was determined that Ms. Auger was taking several prescription medications for chronic pain and other issues that, combined with alcohol, produced a sedative effect that likely altered her behaviour. Per the Fatality Inquiry, "Mr. Coward, in his interview with the police, believed that Ms. Auger was attempting to commit suicide by forcing the police to shoot her. This opinion is supported by the fact that she had tried to commit suicide in the past, she was under chronic pain due to injuries suffered in the car accident six years before, she sent him away after calling 911 and after knowing that the police were on the way, she knew the toy gun she carried could be confused for a real firearm, she met the police in the stairwell and pointed the gun at the officers, she pursued them down the stairwell, she pursued the officers out of the building, when she couldn’t see them, she called 911 and asked the operator to send the police to her suite, she then pursued the police out of the building again, raising the gun directly at Detective Kassian from a distance of seven meters" (Report to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General Public Fatality Inquiry, January 30, 2013). ASIRT was directed to investigate the incident and in September 2010 issued a finding that the officers acted lawfully and their actions were justified. The decision of the Public Fatality Inquiry held in 2012 was that "In this case, there was nothing that the police could have done differently when faced with these events. Accordingly, there are no recommendations to make for the prevention of similar deaths." Ms. Auger suffered from serious chronic pain and brain damage from a car accident six years before the incident, which were cited as relevant factors in the course of events. Per ASIRT director Clifton Purvis' comment on their findings, police dogs becoming confused and attacking officers is not uncommon in heated situations (Edmonton Journal, Sept 16, 2010).
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  Innocent man in nearby apartment dead after Edmonton police shoot and kill armed robbery suspect

  Police were called to an armed robbery in the area of 1133 st and 104 ave at approximately 6:25pm. The 36-year-old man fled the liquor store and was found near 105 st and 107 ave at approximately 7:01pm. A confrontation occurred and police discharged their firearms, fatally wounding the man who was declared dead on the scene. A 59-year-old man in the basement suite behind the first victim was also hit by police fire, and was located some time after the shooting. Emergency first aid was provided and he was rushed to hospital by paramedics but died from his injuries. Later investigation of the scene determined that the 36-year-old victim had an imitation firearm. An ASIRT investigation has been opened, and the officers involved taken off active duty. The Archive team will update as this case progresses.
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  Edmonton police officer charged with distribution of an intimate image

  Const. Samuel Sanson is charged with one count of distribution of an intimate image in relation to an incident that occurred in September. The charge stems from a non-work related incident that reportedly took place in Edmonton in September 2018. The charges follow an in-depth investigation by the EPS Professional Standards Branch which was subsequently reviewed by Alberta Justice. As of 2019 Sanson was reportedly on leave.
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  Edmonton Police shoot and kill man

  Edmonton police were called at 11:05 pm on June 6, 2021 regarding a weapons complaint outside of a residence. A witness reported seeing standing across the street from his house on the Scott Robertson school grounds holding a knife and another reported seeing a man hide behind a tree on his neighbours property. Two police officers confronted a man on arrival and an officer fired a weapon striking and killing the man, according to the first witness, these gunshots occurred around 11:15pm. The victim was declared dead on the scene by first responders ASIRT was reported to be investigating, but there are no known updates.
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  Man fatally shot by EPS after 911 calls reported that he was carrying a gun

  On September 18, 2020, Edmonton City Police were called with reports that a man was carrying a gun in the parking lot of a motel, and later a backyard of a nearby home near 118 Avenue and 69 Street. The man, 48-year-old Marty Powder, was found in the backyard of the house and the premise was surrounded by the police. He was shot multiple times by two officers after an altercation and was declared dead at the scene by EMS. A 12 gauge semi automatic shotgun with a single shell loaded was recovered from the scene and several shotgun shells were found in Powder's pockets. Powder's identity was released by his cousin, Amber Reid as well as several online posts. According to Powder's niece Shelly, it took weeks for his body to be released to his family. ASIRT was reported to be investigating, but no known updates are available.
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  RCMP Officer charged with sexual assault for off-duty incident

  Sometime between July 30 and Sept 2, 2018, an Edmonton woman in a relationship with an RCMP officer attempted to end the relationship and asked him to leave her home. The officer then committed what ASIRT described as a "serious sexual assault". ASIRT was directed to investigate the incident in February 2020, and on January 22, 2021, Cpl. Kire Kondoski was charged with one count of sexual assault. The Crown discontinued prosecuting the case on September 24, 2021, with an Alberta Crown Prosecution Services spokesperson telling the Edmonton Journal “Upon further review, Calgary Prosecutions concluded that the evidence respecting the sexual assault charge against Kondoski did not meet the standard of reasonable likelihood of conviction and therefore the charge was withdrawn.”
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  Man fatally shot by police during attempted robbery

  Mike Bronaugh, also known as Mike Grisch, was fatally shot by two Edmonton Police Service officers responding to an armed robbery in progress call at the Canadian Western Bank at South Edmonton Common on December 11, 2012. Police were called around 2 p.m. to the Canadian Western Bank located at 21st Avenue and 99th Street where they found a man in his mid-twenties with a handgun. According to the evidence presented in the subsequent fatality inquiry, Mr. Bronaugh had made an appointment at the branch, but after sitting down with an employee, he demanded cash, then reached into his coat and "told her that she had twenty-eight seconds to produce the money, that he had a gun and would start shooting someone" (2016 Public Fatality Inquiry). The employee told Mr. Bronaugh it would take time to get the money and left to go to the bank's vault. The employee informed her coworkers and manager of the situation, and a supervisor placed a call to 911. When EPS arrived on scene, Mr. Bronaugh walked towards the bank entrance where two officers had entered with weapons drawn. According to an eyewitness and bank employees, Mr. Bronaugh drew a revolver only after the police entered the building. In the summary of evidence received by the fatality inquiry, one eyewitness (another customer in the bank) and the bank employees did not describe whether Mr. Bronaugh raised the gun; one responding police officer, Cst. McCracken, described Mr. Bronaugh as raising his gun toward the other customer and bank employees, while the other officer, A/Sgt Zielie, described Mr. Bronaugh bringing the gun up and appearing to point it at his own head, then turning to face the other people in the bank. Both officers described shouting at Mr. Bronaugh to drop the weapon, then firing their own guns - Cst. McCracken four shots from a rifle and A/Sgt Zielie two from a pistol, all of which struck Mr. Bronaugh. Mr. Bronaugh was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries, but died the following day with a medical cause of death "Multiple gunshot wounds". Although security camera footage from the incident was presented as evidence in the fatality inquiry, the report does not describe the footage or clarify the contradicting statements on where Mr. Bronaugh pointed the gun once the officers entered the bank. In a media interview with the Edmonton Sun, Mr. Bronaugh's mother stated she believed he was in the process of raising his hands above his head to surrender. Hospital records submitted to the inquiry for Mr. Bronaugh indicated he was receiving treatment for cancer and having seizures but did not indicate mental health concerns; in a media interview with CBC, Mr. Bronaugh's father stated that he was suffering depression and may have wanted the police to shoot him. In the fatality inquiry, A/Sgt Zielie stated that his decision to park his marked police cruiser in front of the bank window would not have been the appropriate practice had he known that Mr. Bronaugh was still inside the bank, which he believed "increased the danger to the people within the bank, decreased any tactical advantage the police had in responding" (2016 Public Fatality Inquiry). However, based on the testimony of both involved officers, an expert police witness from Calgary Police Service, and the statements made by the bank employees about their training on bank robberies, the inquiry concluded that it was extremely unusual that Mr. Bronaugh did not try to leave the bank quickly, and so no recommendations were made.
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  EPS officer suspended without pay for releasing police dog on teenage girl

  An Edmonton police officer has been suspended without pay for allowing a police dog to bite a 16-year-old girl during a wrongful arrest. Const. Antonio Costa was given a 50-hour suspension and ordered to take remedial training for the May 2017 arrest, which left the youth with serious injuries to her arm. Costa was a member of the Edmonton police canine unit at the time of the arrest. According to a disciplinary decision released Wednesday, he was asked to assist with an early morning assault call on May 14, 2017, during which two men allegedly entered a house near 112 Avenue and 91 Street and sprayed bear spray at the occupants. The two men — who were described as wearing red hats and red running shoes — escaped on BMX bikes. Costa and his police dog arrived in the area and saw several people on bikes headed eastward. The disciplinary decision does not specify which dog Costa was partnered with that night, though the EPS website says he is the handler for PSD Amok, a Belgian Malinois. After spotting the cyclists, Costa saw a group on foot near 114 Avenue and 91 Street and pulled up beside them. Though the group did not have bicycles, Costa told them they were under “investigative detention.” After hearing this, the group scattered, and Costa released his police dog. The dog chased the 16-year-old girl — identified in the decision as “BB” — and bit her on the right forearm. She was taken to the Stollery Children’s Hospital, where she was treated for puncture wounds. Costa was initially charged with eight counts of misconduct under the Police Act, including neglect of duty and insubordination. He pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful or necessary use of authority. The defence and prosecution agreed to a 50-hour suspension without pay, which Costa will serve in five-hour increments. Fred Kamins, the retired RCMP superintendent who presided over the hearing, formally imposed the sentence last month. Costa must also undergo remedial training on arrest powers and investigative detention. Kamins said aggravating factors in the case include “the injury to Ms. BB and the seriousness of interfering with someone’s liberty,” while crediting Costa with pleading guilty and maintaining an otherwise “blemish free” record. The Edmonton Police Association declined to comment on the Costa case. (Text adapted from CBC News)
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  Man shot during police confrontation following hit-and-run

  Sterling Ross Cardinal was shot by police during an altercation in Northeast Edmonton. Cardinal was driving a stolen vehicle and was intercepted by police after being involved in a hit-and-run. According to ASIRT (the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team), two police officers approached the vehicle in the area of 66 Street and 123 Avenue and ordered Cardinal and the passenger to come out with their hands up. The passenger exited the vehicle and surrendered, but Cardinal stayed in the vehicle. The passenger later stated that Cardinal had a rifle in his lap. According to the ASIRT report, “This officer yelled ‘Gun, get back’ at the other officer, and commanded the man to drop the weapon. The man verbally refused, stating that he would not drop the gun, that officers would have to shoot him, and that he would shoot police,” (Edmonton Journal, June 5, 2020) before Cardinal fired one shot towards an officer. Police fired multiple shots in response, hitting Cardinal and killing him at the scene. Both Cardinal and his passenger were wanted on Canada-wide warrants for statutory release violations. A toxicology report from an autopsy showed he had alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana in his system. Cardinal was an Indigenous man from Calling Lake and a father of three, including a two-month-old baby boy.
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  Man shot by police during arrest attempt

  Matt Dumas was shot by Edmonton Police Service officers when trying to flee during an arrest attempt at Westmount Mall. Police attempted to box in Dumas, who was wanted on outstanding warrants related to drug trafficking, after tailing his vehicle to a parking lot at Westmount Mall. Three unmarked vehicles surrounded Dumas' parked car, which also had two female passengers, and turned on their emergency lights. Officers threw two flash-bang grenades towards the vehicle, and instructed the passengers to exit the vehicle with their hands up. Per the ASIRT report, all three individuals held up their hands for several seconds but did not exit the vehicle, before Dumas rammed the police vehicles to the rear and then the front of his car. Officers then threw 2 canisters of CS gas (tear gas) into the vehicle through the passenger window, and again pinned Dumas' car in place with their vehicles. As the officers began to attempt to remove the passengers, Dumas drew a handgun from a bag around his neck. Per the ASIRT report, one officer repeatedly told Dumas "don't do it", and another officer fired an ARWEN baton round (a "less-than-lethal" crowd control device that fires plastic rounds) that struck Dumas. Dumas then pointed his gun at one of the officers, at which point three officers opened fire on him. According to the ASIRT report (2020), the evidence is "unequivocal" that Dumas fired two rounds, which lodged in the dashboard of his vehicle; eyewitness reports suggest the police fired approximately 13 rounds. Dumas was struck multiple times and declared dead on the scene by a paramedic who accompanied the tactical response team. The two women in the car and officers were not injured. The coroner's report found traces of methamphetamine in his system, which the Executive Director of ASIRT, Susan Hughson, stated likely contributed to his "irrational decision" to attempt to flee and fire on the officers (Edmonton Journal, January 27, 2020). The ASIRT investigation concluded that the officers' use of force was justified; a Public Fatality Inquiry has yet to be scheduled as of November 2021. Friends of Dumas indicated that he had suffered increasing problems with drugs following the suicide of his twin brother in 2011. He was described as a "loving man" and one friend who spoke to media indicated he had young children.
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  EPS Officer charged with off-duty sexual assault

  Constable Samuel Sanson has been charged with one count of sexual assault for an incident which occurred on January 20, 2021. Sanson is alleged to have sexually assaulted a female acquaintance while off-duty. Sanson is currently relieved of duty without pay. The matter was first scheduled to appear in court March 23, 2021. The Archive team will update as the case progresses.
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  String of disciplinary hearings, charges and lawsuits follow 2010 EPS beating of 29-year-old man

  In January of 2010, several police officers arrived at the home of Kazimierz Kozina's parents to search for drugs, as they suspected Kozina of drug trafficking. According to Kozina, several officers including Constable Redlick told him they wanted to "beat the shit" out of him. In February 2010, Constables Jack Redlick, Jason Kemp, Craig Offin and Phil Leeman arranged a 'buy and bust' from Kozina. After Kozina sold drugs to an undercover Leeman in the front seat of a Pontiac Sunfire, Redlick and Kemp approached the vehicle, Redlick with his gun drawn, and opened the passenger door and ordered Kozina out of the vehicle. They claim that Kozina pressed himself into the seat, and as Kemp reached into the car and grabbed Kozina's clothing, he began to flail his arms. Kemp punched him twice with "full speed and power", and Redlick threw three additional punches, two at Kozina's head, in what he claims was an attempt to get Kozina out of the car. CBC News summarized their testimony of the rest of the incident - ""The fight was on immediately outside the car as well," [Kemp] said. Redlick testified, "I shove him as hard as I can with both hands straight down to the ground. Then he tries to get back on his feet. "I yell at him again to stay down. I don't want to punch him in the back of the head because it will break my hand." Instead, Redlick hit Kozina on the back of the head with an open palm. Const. Offin [another undercover officer] also entered the fray. "This is happening fairly quickly," he had testified earlier. "You just rely on your training to do what is necessary." Offin was also charged, but the charge against him was dropped when he resigned from the police service. He testified Wednesday as a witness. Offin said he delivered two strikes to Kozina's back in an attempt to control him. Kemp said he "delivered five or six short kind of rabbit jabs to his mid-section." While Kozina continued to flail on the ground, more officers ran to assist. In the confusion, Kemp said an officer punched him in the back of the head, someone else grabbed his legs by mistake, and a third officer even jumped on his shoulders and drove his head into the ground. Kemp described it as a "melee," while Offin called it a "schmozz," with "a bunch of bodies and arms going everywhere." Kemp said, "I overheard Kazimierz yelling out, 'Why are you doing this?'" Kemp said he pleaded with the suspect to just "give me your hands and we will stop." Kozina was handcuffed and led to a police car. He had to be taken to hospital that night. He suffered a fractured orbital bone that ultimately required reconstructive surgery, plus cuts, bruises and a spinal injury." (CBC News, June 3, 2016). A witness, EPS officer Derek Huff, later estimated that between 15-20 punches were thrown once Kozina was handcuffed on the ground, and described Kozina's condition saying “His face was a great big giant black ball … of blood and bruising,” said Huff. “It looked like he had a gotten into a full head-on collision and smashed his head into a steering wheel.” (CBC News, Sept 27, 2013) Huff claimed that Kemp's injury, which Kemp blamed on Kozina and used as justification for his use of force, was a result of a mislaid punch from another officer. Kozina launched a formal complaint against the officers involved in 2010, which was dismissed by Chief Mike Boyd later that year. Kozina appealed to the Law Enforcement Review Board (LERB), which required the new Chief Rod Knecht to re-examine the allegations. Knecht sent the matter to a disciplinary hearing, which dismissed Police Act charges against the officers in July 2016. The presiding officer in that review, retired Court of Queen's Bench judge Mel Binder, described Constable Redlick in glowing terms - "Const. Redlick struck me as a solid, street-smart, hard-nosed but fair police officer, with basic common sense, who would tell it as it is and who would call a spade a spade" (CBC News, July 21, 2016), a statement that Kozina's lawyer Tom Engel noted was particularly problematic. In the same hearing, two other EPS officers (one of whom Kozina accused of participating in the assault) testified that they "didn't recall" seeing Huff at the scene of the incident, and claimed that Kozina was resisting the arrest, justifying Redlick and Kemp's actions. Kozina again appealed this decision to LERB, which upheld the it. As of 2021, he is seeking a judicial review of the decision. A separate ASIRT investigation concluded in 2014 with no charges against the officers. Kozina filed a lawsuit in September 2015 for $1 million in damages for physical and psychological injuries that affected his ability to work. Kozina's lawsuit alleged that police attempted to cover up the incident and failed to disclose brutality allegations that were made by a witness (a former EPS officer) to CBC in 2013. That officer, Derek Huff, told CBC that he repeatedly reported his concerns about the arrest and how it was characterized in the arresting officers' reports, resulting in mistreatment from his fellow officers for breaking the "code of silence" (Edmonton Journal, Sept 27, 2019). In June 2012 Huff went to the deputy chief and wrote a formal complaint, which was sent to ASIRT, triggering an investigation. The Edmonton Sun reported that the handling of the incident led to the transfer of several constables, a staff sergeant and a superintendent (Edmonton Sun, Sept 30, 2013). Huff resigned from the force in February 2013 and filed a lawsuit against the City of Edmonton and EPS, along with the current and former police chiefs and several officers and supervisors, claiming that following his whistleblowing on the incident he was harassed by other EPS staff to the point it affected his mental health and a diagnosis of PTSD; the lawsuit was dropped in November 2014. CBC News reported in 2016 that Huff was facing two criminal charges for uttering death threats against Redlick and Kemp in an email to another officer, but the Archive team has yet to locate information about the outcome of that case. Kozina pled guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance and obstruction of a peace officer on Oct. 25, 2011, but later submitted an appeal on the basis that Huff's information had not been disclosed. The Court of Appeal set aside his guilty plea and quashed his conviction on July 14, 2015.
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  Suspect violently assaulted during arrest near Alberta Legislature

  A violent arrest caught on camera in 2019 led to an assault charge being laid against EPS officer Dylan Awid. Police officers gave chase to a truck they identified as stolen on the evening of June 11, 2019, with an EPS helicopter tracking the vehicle to an apartment building parking lot near the Alberta Legislature building. Police vehicles converged on the scene and boxed the truck in after it rammed vehicles to the rear and front in an attempt to escape. When the truck came to a halt, one officer exited the passenger side of the nearest police SUV and approached the car. As the driver, Kyle Parkhurst, opened the door and climbed out of the vehicle, the officer kicked the door against him, then struck him in the head with his gun. Parkhurst then fell to the ground, at which point he was kicked and punched multiple times; police also confirmed that he was Tasered twice during the arrest. One officer, later identified as Constable Dylan Awid, kicked Parkhurst multiple times before pulling him to his feet while handcuffed and slamming his head into a brick wall. He struck Parkhurst in the head with his elbow, then while walking him towards the police cruiser, violently shoved him up against it. Security camera footage of the incident shows officers appearing to re-enact the violence of the arrest after Parkhurst has been placed in custody. Experts interviewed by CBC about the footage indicated that an officer who appeared to deliberately walk away from the scene once the assault began appeared to be a sergeant; none of the many officers at the scene appear to attempt to intervene. Parkhurst's lawyer claims that after being taken into custody, his requests to see a doctor were denied and his injuries were never photographed, and asserts that his blood-soaked shirt was covered with a sweater when his mug shot photo was taken. EPS claims that Parkhurst was assessed by a parademic at the police station and his injuries were deemed minor. He stated that his mouth filled with blood for several hours after the incident, he suffered headaches and migranes several weeks after the incident, and had no memory of being thrown against the wall. He was not assessed by a doctor until two weeks later, when a lawyer acting for his grandmother filed a written complaint. In a subsequent legal filing Parkhurst stated he submitted dozens of written requests for medical treatment for severe headaches, numbness, and tingling in his legs and torso, as well as mental health issues, but was only seen by a doctor once. Some media reporting on the incident described it as "methamphetamine-fueled" but it is not clear when/whether Parkhurst was tested for substances. EPS appears to have been reluctant to provide information to the media following the incident. They announced their Professional Standards Branch would investigate after bystander videos of the incident were released online, but did not disclose to the media that they were also initiating a criminal investigation, which was discovered by CBC News when they spoke to the provincial director of law enforcement, Bill Sweeney, about why EPS was permitted to internally investigate an alleged assault on a prisoner. The day after CBC ran the July 9 story about the internal investigation, it was handed over to ASIRT (the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team). Reporters were later able to ascertain that Constable Awid had been removed from active duty sometime after the incident. In October 2021, ASIRT determined that Awid should be charged for the violence that occurred after Parkhurst was handcuffed, and on October 7, 2021 he was charged with one count of assault. The charge against Awid was stayed on November 8, 2021; the Edmonton Journal reported "a spokesperson for Alberta’s Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General told Postmedia that Alberta Crown Prosecution Service’s (ACPS) standard for prosecution is higher than that of the police, and that it’s possible for a case to meet one standard, but fail to meet a more onerous standard at higher levels of the justice system. “In this case, an ACPS prosecutor reviewed the investigation and surrounding circumstances and concluded that the charges did not meet our standard for prosecution,” the statement said" (Edmonton Journal, November 16, 2021). No reason was given by the ministry or the Crown for why this decision was made. Parkhurst was originally charged with nine offences, eventually reduced to four to which he pled guilty - possession of stolen property over $5,000; dangerous operation of a motor vehicle; driving while disqualified; and breach of recognizance. In August 2021 Parkhurst filed a lawsuit against Awid and six other police officers including Police Chief Dale McFee, Alberta Health Services, and the Alberta government, for $100,000. The Archive team will update this incident as the lawsuit proceeds and more information about the dropped charges becomes available.
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  Two men injured by police in violent mistaken identity arrest at Circle K convenience store

  A complaint of police brutality and misconduct has been filed against city officers by a man who says his wrongful arrest felt more like a kidnapping. In a formal complaint to the Edmonton Police Service’s Professional Standards Branch, Jamie-Dean Sauter recounts being arrested in a Circle K at 116 Street and 104 Avenue on May 14 (2020) around 8:15 p.m. By Sauter’s account, he was approached by six EPS members, told he was under arrest for stealing a vehicle, and – as he was offering to show them his ID, license, registration and insurance – slammed to the ground. “I was still calm enough at the point, if I just present my driver’s license, my insurance, my registration, this will clearly be cleared up,” he remembers thinking. But on the ground, Sauter says he was punched, had the boot of one officer wiped across his face, effectively blindfolded by a covering over his face, and taken to a station whose location he would not learn until later. “It was one of the most dehumanizing, delegitimatizing things I’ve experienced because I felt it was done to let me know I’m dirt beneath your boot.” Sauter wrote to the EPS Professional Standards Branch on May 20, “This all to me did not appear to be an arrest but rather a kidnapping.” The 37-year-old says he manages several health conditions, and worried the confrontation would end in a heart attack or suffocation. “It was reckless, thoughtless, and degrading… How quickly they escalated to use violence was baffling and bewildering to me, especially given I was willing to cooperate, engage, and comply with the six officers,” his complaint reads. Sauter identifies as being of Black/Indigenous/Latin/European/East Asian descent. In the letter, he also writes he believes his ethnicity was a “determining factor in how this arrest was conducted” and recalls being mocked for his assumed sexuality. Twenty-four-year-old Joshua Powell was at the Circle K’s check-out counter when he says “about six cops bust through the door and just seemed to tackle this man without even asking for identification—anything, like any sort of explanation.” With his phone already in hand as he had waited to pay, Powell started recording. “I just had a gut feeling that, ‘Hey, something’s not right here and I should probably be recording this,” he recalled. At least three officers are seen in the video taking Sauter to the ground as Powell’s video starts. Sauter can be heard yelling, “Ow,” and asking, “What are you doing?” Powell tells Sauter, “If you stop moving, they won’t hurt you,” and moves to find a better camera angle – but as he does, an officer appears to attempt to block his view. “I couldn’t really capture it on film due to the way officers were blocking my footage,” he told CTV News Edmonton. On camera, he tells the police, “That was a bit excessive from an outside perspective.” Powell ended up being arrested for obstruction of justice. In the video, as his camera is shaken around, he’s heard saying: “I’m just filming. What are you doing to me?” “This guy’s trying to get my phone. I gotta save this video and lock my phone,” he recalled thinking. Minutes later, he says he was he was carried out, also hooded, and put in a police vehicle in front of his clueless girlfriend. “We had no power. I was called a little b*tch. I was called a f*ggot. They wouldn’t let me speak to my girlfriend to tell her what was going on.” Both men allege the treatment continued at the downtown EPS station, where the men were held in custody. “I just know from movies and stuff, you get a phone call, right?” Powell asked, saying he wasn’t afforded one. Sauter said he was allowed to make calls to his brother, who is a detective with EPS, and Legal Aid. However, he says he received no medical attention for the bruising, cuts, swelling or shock he was experiencing. He experienced pain for days afterward, and still has neck and back issues, he told CTV News Edmonton. The 24-year-old witness also says he sustained abrasions on his wrists from too-tight handcuffs, forehead and facial bruising, and a cut on his shin from the ordeal. Both were released around 12:30 a.m. By then, officers had verified Sauter’s insurance and ownership of the vehicle, whose plate, police discovered, had been replaced with a stolen one. As he left, Sauter says he was told he needed “to learn how to conduct yourself around officers." Sauter was never charged. The charge against Powell was stayed July 8. Both men have filed official complaints and obtained lawyers, but none of their accusations have been tested or proven in court. EPS confirmed two Professional Standards Branch investigations are open, related to the complaints filed by Sauter and Powell. Spokesperson Cheryl Voordenhout said there are eight officers who are subject to the investigations. “At this time, it is too early to determine any changes to the duty status of the officers. As per standard procedure, duty status is evaluated on an ongoing basis as the investigation unfolds,” she wrote to media. The response has left Sauter unsatisfied, and he reiterated a sentiment he first expressed in the letter to the Professional Standards Branch, Edmonton Police Commission, and Chief Dale McFee: “I don’t feel safe with them out.” Sauter repeatedly told CTV News Edmonton his experiences with police had previously been positive, but after his own “traumatizing” arrest and hearing Minneapolis man George Floyd uttered the same words he did beneath the knee of a policeman — “I can’t breathe” — also said he’s come to believe law enforcement need to be held more accountable. Widespread use of body cams, he said, could help others in the same way a stranger helped him. “Had this video not been available, it would’ve left my credibility tarnished… I would have to be up against six to seven officers, and I would have no actual proof of what occurred,” Sauter told CTV News Edmonton, speaking of Powell’s short clip in the Circle K. “He’s my hero. He’s incredibly brave. He has incredible integrity and moral character. He’s not a coward. His intuition was correct and he did the right thing.” (Text from CTV News article, July 9, 2020) Both Sauter and Powell are represented by lawyers. In his complaint to the Professional Standards Branch, Sauter stated "This all to me did not appear to be an arrest but rather a kidnapping.” He believes he sustained injuries that caused a curve in his spine, along with ongoing pain, migranes, and possible PTSD. The Archive team is seeking the results of the Professional Standards Branch investigations and will update this entry when more information is available.