A Calgary police officer has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with a 2023 shooting that left two men dead.
The charges against Const. Craig Stothard, a 13-year Calgary police veteran, were announced on July 14 following a recommendation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).
Alberta’s police watchdog was called in to investigate after shots were fired on a van following a slow-speed chase in northeast Calgary on May 29, 2023, according to an ASIRT statement.
The chase began after police received several calls of an alleged impaired driver travelling “erratically” in a stolen five-ton van.
Officers responded to the call and located the van heading west on Memorial Drive, Calgary police said at the time. Multiple police units were called in to block intersections and bridges along the road to prevent the van from entering the downtown or any residential areas.
Calgary police said the vehicle made a sharp U-turn onto eastbound Memorial Drive at the intersection of Edmonton Trail. Officers attempted a traffic stop near St. George’s Drive NE, police said, but were unable to stop the van.
The driver steered the van across lanes of traffic at low speeds and refused to stop. Shots were fired when the van headed toward officers, police said.
Two men were pronounced dead at the scene while a third was taken to hospital in police custody. The two deceased were later identified as Wesley Davidson and Levon Fox, an indigenous man.
ASIRT said the evidence gathered during its investigation provided “reasonable grounds” that an offence had been committed.
The investigation was forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Services, which determined there was sufficient evidence for a prosecution, leading to ASIRT’s decision to charge the officer.
Calgary Police Chief Katie McLellan called the charges levelled against Stothard “extremely serious.”
“We recognize the profound impact that this incident has had and will continue to have on all involved,” McLellan said in a video posted to social media.
“Many lives will and have been impacted forever. On behalf of the Calgary Police Service, I want to extend my condolences to all involved family members.”
McLellan alluded to the relationship Calgary Police have with the indigenous community, saying the incident may “challenge the trust” that the police service has worked to build.
“We are committed to listening, learning, and taking every possible step to understand what can be learned from what happened,” McLellan said. “This news today does not change the fact that we are committed to providing equitable and culturally respectful policing services and embracing indigenous world views.”
McLellan noted that she is confident Alberta’s criminal justice system will handle the case with “the seriousness and fairness it deserves.”
Stothard appeared in court July 15 and was released on bail with conditions, including a curfew.
