A list of police encounters being questioned and investigated in Canada

The death last month of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who was killed when an officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes, has sparked demonstrations against police brutality and racism around the world.

Since then, cases in Canada have surfaced of questionable tactics by police. Here is a list of some cases that have come to light in the past month:

DEATH OF REGIS KORCHINSKY-PAQUET

Regis Korchinsky-Paquet, a 29-year-old Black woman, died when she fell 24 storeys from a balcony while Toronto police officers were in her apartment on May 27. Officers had responded to three “frantic” 911 calls, authorities said.

Her family has questioned the role of police in her death. Korchinsky-Paquet’s mother has said she called police to the apartment and asked them to take her daughter to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, is investigating.

EDMONTON ARREST

Earlier this month, two videos began circulating online of a 2018 arrest of a Black man in Edmonton, where a police officer used his knee on the man’s neck to restrain him.

Edmonton police have said the restraint was used for about 40 seconds before the officer switched positions, but noted that such a “high-risk” tactic is not encouraged and not part of officer training.

DEATH OF CHANTEL MOORE

Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman, was shot and killed by police in Edmundston, N.B., last week. 

Edmundston police have said the shooting occurred after an officer performing a wellness check allegedly encountered a woman with a knife.

Her death is being investigated by Quebec’s independent police investigation agency, the Bureau des enquetes independantes.  

Since Moore’s death, there have been calls for a broader inquiry to examine systemic bias against Indigenous people in New Brunswick’s policing and criminal justice systems.

DEATH OF CLAYTON CRAWFORD

Alberta’s police watchdog announced Monday that two RCMP officers were charged after shooting at a moving vehicle that ended up in a ditch in the northwestern part of the province in July 2018.

Cpl. Randy Stenger and Const. Jessica Brown were arrested last Friday and each charged with one count of criminal negligence causing death.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has said that Mounties were searching for a witness and possible victim to interview about a shooting the day before.

Police discovered a man sleeping in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked at a rest stop. During the confrontation, the vehicle was “put into motion” and one officer fired a service pistol while the other discharged a carbine rifle, ASIRT said.

Clayton Crawford, who was 31 and appeared to be white, died from multiple gunshot wounds inside the vehicle.

B.C. OFFICERS CHARGED

Also on Monday, British Columbia’s prosecution service announced it approved charges against three RCMP officers in Prince George relating to an arrest of two suspects in February 2016.

Const. Joshua Grafton faces charges of assault, assault with a weapon and obstruction, while constables Wayne Connell and Kyle Sharpe are charged with assault causing bodily harm.

No details of the allegations have been released either by the RCMP or the Independent Investigations Office, B.C.’s police watchdog.

ARREST OF CHIEF ALLAN ADAM

A video has emerged of the violent arrest of Chief Allan Adam outside a casino in northern Alberta.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said the RCMP dash-camera video was released as part of a court application to get criminal charges against the prominent chief stayed.

The 12-minute video shows an officer approaching Adam’s truck outside the casino in Fort McMurray on March 10, for what police say was expired plates on his truck.

The video shows Adam getting in and out of the truck, aggressively removing his coat and swearing as he complains about being harassed by police.

A second officer pulls up, charges at Adam, tackles him to the ground and punches him in the head.

ASIRT is investigating a complaint by Adam of police brutality.

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the video shocking.

The Canadian Press