Sisters claim ‘gross negligence’ behind deadly police shooting of Edmonton bystander

EDMONTON – A woman who died last February after being hit by a police bullet while her brother was sitting by the TV in the basement of her home said it was the result of “gross negligence” by officers responding to a robbery. I’m here.

Susan Bandola said her 59-year-old brother, James Hanna, recently moved into an apartment in downtown Edmonton after becoming a building site manager. She said he was homeless while he was couchsurfing.

“He was just starting his life over and this happened.”

Police said a stray bullet hit an “uninvolved innocent person” as officers opened fire on a suspect in an armed robbery at a liquor store.

The Alberta Critical Incident Response Team, the state police oversight agency, said officers pursued the 36-year-old robbery suspect on foot and shot him. ASIRT said the suspect’s firearm was a fake.

Police said they soon found that a resident of an adjacent building had also been attacked. ASIRT said officers performed CPR on him until paramedics arrived.

“I think James was dead when they found him,” said Bandra, a registered nurse.

Bandora said Hannah was sitting in a chair facing the TV when she was hit.

“Had his chair been in a different spot, he wouldn’t have been hit,” she said.

Bandola said autopsy reports she obtained showed that the bullet struck Hannah, blew off the base of his hand, passed through his left lung, struck his heart, and landed in his right lung.

When Bandora went to her apartment after her brother’s death, she found six bullet holes in the side of the building, five of which hit Hannah’s suite.

“No point,” said Bandora. “I was there at 6:30 at night. People were coming home from work. They were walking down the street.”

The shooting occurred on a light rail track near McEwan University.

“It could have been bloody,” Bandora said.

Hannah was active as a member of Narcotics Anonymous for 10 years, Bandora said, adding that he would be with addicts during their daily activities as a way to keep them clean and busy before receiving treatment. He added that there was often

“He’s been clean for 10 years and was very proud to still be working on his program,” Hannah also said of being proud to be a Metis.

“He was very kind to animals and children. He loved hugs,” Bandora said, adding that he loved to travel and had been to Africa and Europe.

Bandora said Hannah was handing out bottled water to homeless people downtown during the Edmonton heatwave.

ASIRT declined to comment because the investigation is ongoing, but said it expected the investigation to be completed in the coming months.

ASIRT spokesperson said that after the investigation is completed, ASIRT’s executive director will review the investigation and decide whether to recommend criminal charges.

A spokeswoman said a large number of cases and not enough staff were the cause of the delay.

After his brother’s death, Bandora contacted personal injury attorney Noam Asif and plans to take legal action as soon as ASIRT’s report becomes public.

“This was terrifying,” Asif said. “It shouldn’t have happened. There are many ways this could have been avoided.”

Alberta’s fatal accident law guarantees surviving next of kin to receive $82,000, but he believes a life is worth more than that.

“Obviously, this is not what the family wants to be rich,” Asif said.

“If we do nothing, no public attention, no court attention, no police attention, how can we prevent it from happening again?” he said.

Bandola said he did not believe Edmonton police took the shooting seriously.

“What really upsets me is that there was no formal apology from my father,” Bandora said, adding that his 82-year-old father was severely affected.

Edmonton Police Chief Dale McPhee said at a press conference on February 24 that the shooting was difficult for all involved. That’s not what anyone signs up for. ”

Edmonton Police spokeswoman Cheryl Shepherd said in an email that all officers involved have completed a mandatory reintegration program and have returned to their roles. did not disclose, but said they may have never been fired in the first place.

EPS said it requires officers to undergo firearms training once a year in addition to their annual qualifications.

Bandora said she thinks of her brother every day.

“I’m thinking about wanting justice for James, if it was someone else, how would he want justice for them?”

This report by the Canadian Press was first published on November 9, 2022.

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This article was produced with financial support from the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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