July 15, 2025
REDFM NEWS DESK
A Calgary police officer has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with a deadly shooting more than two years ago.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) began investigating on May 29, 2023, following a police pursuit on Memorial Drive in northeast Calgary. The chase ended when an officer fired shots at a white cube van, resulting in the deaths of two of its occupants.
According to police, the incident began roughly 45 minutes earlier on Manning Close NE, where the van was reportedly being driven erratically and dangerously. Witness video from that day showed the cube van moving slowly along Memorial Drive, trailed by multiple Calgary police vehicles.
The situation escalated near Edmonton Trail NE. ASIRT described “rapidly changing dynamics” that led to an officer firing at the van. Both individuals struck by the gunfire were later pronounced dead.
Following an investigation, ASIRT said there was sufficient evidence to lay charges against Calgary Police Service Const. Craig Stothard. The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the findings and agreed the evidence met its standard for prosecution.
“Following a review of the investigation and having been advised that the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service was of the opinion that the evidence met their standard for prosecution, ASIRT Assistant Executive Director Matthew Block determined that the involved officer should be charged,” the agency said in a news release.
Stothard was formally charged on Monday and appeared in a Calgary courtroom Tuesday. He was released on conditions and is currently on leave from his role with CPS.
ASIRT investigates all incidents involving police that result in serious injury, death, or allegations of misconduct.
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