RCMP cleared in fatal shooting of woman after her suspected kidnapping triggered high-speed chase
CBC
An investigation into the death of an Edmonton woman, caught in the crossfire of an RCMP shooting northeast of Edmonton, describes her death as an unintended, tragic accident.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team issued its findings Wednesday into an officer-involved shooting on Aug. 8, 2022, that left Dawson Steinhauer with serious injuries and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Faith Prohl, dead.
The incident began with a domestic violence complaint and an hours-long police chase that ended when RCMP officers opened fire in a field on the outskirts of Smoky Lake, Alta., 116 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.
Alberta's police watchdog found that the officers were not aware that Prohl was hiding in the field when they opened fire, fatally wounding her with a bullet that travelled through her right shoulder and into her chest. She died at the scene.
Michael Ewenson, ASIRT's executive director, cleared the officers involved of any wrongdoing and ruled that they are not culpable for Prohl's death.
"With the benefit of hindsight, time for detached reflection and knowledge of the ultimate outcome, it is easy to speculate about how things could have been done differently," Ewenson wrote in his report.
"That is not the standard, however, against which an officer's conduct is measured."
CBC News has heard from friends and family who remember Prohl as a kind, caring mother who was in need of police assistance on the day she died.
The report does not name Prohl or Steinhauer, but identifies them only as the man and woman shot by officers.
Ewenson said the use of force was justified given the dangerous circumstances that officers faced at the scene and the prolonged police chase that unfolded that day.
"[The woman] being shot was completely unintended, and her death an extremely tragic accident," Ewenson wrote.
"Even if they had known, given the situation immediately facing them, their actions in shooting at [the man] would not have changed.
"They all used lawful force against [the man]. However, in using the force they did it had the collateral effect of killing [the woman].
The report details how RCMP were first called to investigate a report of domestic violence, where Prohl had reportedly been assaulted and possibly held against her will by her boyfriend.
There have been four collisions involving transport trucks in northwestern Ontario in three days, prompting renewed calls for action to address ongoing safety concerns along Highway 11-17.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives will huddle behind closed doors at a policy convention this weekend as some Tories question the party’s direction after nearly eight years in power.
The father of a three-year-old girl that was killed after being struck by a vehicle in Cambridge in mid-December says recent charges laid to the driver bring little comfort and relief.
The start of kindergarten can be a time of excitement or anxiety for parents, guardians and children — and also for Prince Edward Island's education officials as they try to staff schools appropriately.
Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC)’s proposed hydro project is facing some backlash in Pangnirtung.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will take to the stage Friday for what could be one of the most important speeches of his political career as he tries to convince delegates at the party's Calgary convention to keep him in the job.
As his flight departed from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport en route to Kuwait via Istanbul, Canadian crypto fugitive Andean Medjedovic was unaware that his globe-trotting lifestyle would soon be halted.
One of the largest taxi companies in Toronto will be down to three wheelchair-accessible cabs by the end of March, as advocates and providers say the city is failing to support accessible taxi drivers.
As a deep freeze continues to envelop southwestern Ontario at the same time municipalities deal with a pressing shortage of road salt, there's a renewed focus on finding different ways to melt road ice.
Dave Lawson is a proud Canadian who has bumper stickers that say "Canada is not for sale." He's fed up with grocery products plastered with maple leaves and patriotic logos that turn out to be American imports.
The Town of Badger has issued an evacuation order for some residents as water levels on the Exploits River continue to rise.
The head of a national seniors' advocacy organization says protecting nursing home residents from sexual abuse is an important but challenging issue.
New data shows Winnipeg's fire-paramedic service fielded hundreds of reports involving the city's homeless population, but one advocate says she expects that number to go down in light of the city's limits on where encampments can be.