The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has charged a Calgary police officer with two counts of second-degree murder following a 2023 shooting that left two people dead, sparking “a lot of mixed emotions,” among the mother of one of the victims.The incident happened on May 29, 2023, when Const. Craig Stothard, a 13-year veteran, fired at the occupants of a van on Memorial Drive during a slow-speed pursuit, killing the driver Wesley Davidson, along with his passenger Levon Fox, 39. Another passenger, Dennis Wildman, Fox's brother, survived.“(It was) overwhelming, a lot of mixed emotions. On one hand, I’m relieved. And that relief comes from the fact that the investigation has been completed,” Lena Wildman, Fox’s mother, told the Western Standard Wednesday.“It’s an emotional drain, having confirmation that he shouldn’t have been shot like that. Things could have been done better. It should have been handled in a different manner, where we did not have to live with lifelong loss," she said.Wildman says she wants the officer who has been charged to be treated like anybody else in the courtroom, citing the seriousness of the charges..Economist says Alberta-Ontario pipeline requires other provinces, federal approval.“If there’s no repercussion for his actions, he can do it again,” she said.The last two years haven’t been easy for Wildman.“These two years, I have journeyed in grief, trying to accept the loss of my child,” she said.“Living with that loss isn’t something that I would wish on others. I have to say that my ceremonies and my teachings are what have given me the strength to be able to face each and every day. Because every waking moment, that emptiness of one missing person is always there.”The pursuit started that morning around 10:15 a.m. on Manning Close S.E. in Mayland Heights after a security guard reported three suspicious, drunk men on private property. .Canada's inflation rate rose to 1.9% in June as prices of cars, clothes rise.The men then jumped into a stolen five-ton van and started driving in an erratic and dangerous manner on westbound Memorial Drive.Officers followed the slow-moving vehicle with police vehicles placed in strategic locations to make sure the van didn't get into the heavily populated downtown.Stothard discharged his firearm after 45 minutes, killing two of the suspects inside the van. Fox’s brother, the third suspect, was taken into custody.An investigation was launched by ASIRT, which concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe criminal offences had occurred. The case was then handed over to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, which determined the evidence met its standard for prosecution.Stothard was formally charged on Monday. He appeared Tuesday in Calgary Court of King’s Bench and was released under conditions..EXCLUSIVE: UCP members propose party vote on Alberta independence.The Calgary Police Association refused to provide a comment.The Calgary Police Service (CPS) issued a statement, saying that the involved officer is currently on leave from the service."The charges are extremely serious in nature, and we recognize that incidents like this challenge the trust that communities have in the Calgary Police Service, especially Indigenous communities. We are committed to listening, learning, and taking every possible step to understand what can be learned from what happened,” reads the statement."We recognize the profound impact that this incident has had on all involved and, on behalf of the CPS, we extend our condolences to the family members who are grieving." “We are confident in the integrity of the ASIRT investigation and know that our criminal justice system is well equipped to handle this case with the seriousness and fairness it deserves. As this issue is now before the courts and out of respect for all parties involved, we are unable to provide further comment." As the case is now before the courts, ASIRT will not release further information. ASIRT investigates incidents involving police in Alberta that result in serious injury or death, including serious or sensitive allegations of misconduct..‘ALBERTA HAS AN OTTAWA PROBLEM ’: Smith, panel hear from the public in Edmonton
