Man, 19, faces manslaughter charges in shooting deaths of 2 Edmonton police constables

A 19-year-old man accused of trafficking a rifle used in the March shooting deaths of two Edmonton police constables has been charged with manslaughter.

Dennis Okeymow is charged with three counts of manslaughter and three counts of negligence causing death in the deaths of Edmonton Police Service constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan, and 16-year-old Roman Shewchuk. 

Ryan and Jordan were gunned down March 16 while responding to a family dispute at an apartment complex in the city's northwest.

Shewchuk shot the officers before shooting his mother and then using the same gun — an unrestricted, semi-automatic .22-calibre rifle — to kill himself.

Police say Okeymow trafficked the firearm used in the police shooting and a separate shooting at a nearby Pizza Hut four days earlier.

In a news release Wednesday, police said investigators have determined that Okeymow sold the rifle "directly to" Shewchuk days before the 16-year-old used it to shoot an employee at the Pizza Hut.

Okeymow is also charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm in relation to the shooting at the pizza restaurant and in the shooting that injured Shewchuk's mother.

He also faces other charges, including firearms trafficking, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition, and charges related to drug trafficking.

At a news conference Wednesday, Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart, from the EPS guns and gangs section, said the investigation has been the most complex and tragic of his career. 

"A 16-year-old should have never been able to get his hands on a gun," Stewart told reporters.

"It's heartbreaking that the trafficking of this rifle to this youth has led to multiple deaths and life-altering injuries, not to mention the trauma suffered by all the families involved." 

Stewart said it's relatively rare to charge a firearm trafficker with manslaughter.

'We had the right evidence'

He acknowledged it is often difficult to prove how a firearm may have changed hands before it is used to commit a crime, but a strong chain of evidence in the case made the manslaughter charges possible. 

"We had the right evidence in place," he said. "We're confident in the charges that were laid in this investigation."

Police are still investigating the origin of the rifle and how it came to be sold illegally. Stewart said it changed hands a few times before it came into Shewchuk's possession.

Stewart did not provide further details about how Okeymow knew Shewchuk, or how the sale was arranged. 

Okeymow was not previously known to police.

"Opportunity arises and it's all about money ... and that's what happened in this case," Stewart said.

"If you put yourself in that situation and you sell a gun illegally you ought to know what could happen."

Shooter's motive remains unclear

Jordan, 35, and Ryan, 30, were killed in what police called an "ambush" after they were called after midnight on March 16 to the Baywood Park Apartments complex near 114th Avenue and 132nd Street.

The officers, who were responding to a reported family dispute, were gunned down as they knocked on the door.

Police said gunfire erupted before Jordan and Ryan entered the apartment suite, incapacitating them. The teen and his mother then reportedly struggled over the gun, before shots were fired. 

Police said the 16-year-old also shot and seriously injured his 55-year-old mother before using the gun to kill himself.

Shewchuk died at the scene. His mother continues to recover from her injuries, police said Tuesday.

Jordan and Ryan were declared dead in hospital. Neither officer fired his firearm.

The teen had no prior criminal record but police had been called to the home before, including for a previous mental health complaint.

Police said the motive for the killings remain unclear.

Investigators said there is no indication the shooting was planned and police believe the teen may have decided to open fire the instant officers knocked on the door.

On March 12, a 55-year-old man working at a Pizza Hut near the apartment complex was left with serious injuries after being shot by an assailant.

The clerk who was shot, Rich Albert, suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost his left eye.

Early in the investigation, detectives determined that a bullet cartridge casing recovered from the restaurant shooting was a forensic match to the firearm recovered at the apartment where the officers were killed.

In Wednesday's news release, police said that following several months of extensive investigation, investigators had confirmed that Okeymow trafficked the firearm used in both shootings directly to the 16-year-old shooter. 

Police said officers searched Okeymow's residence, vehicles and cell phone on Nov. 23.

Okeymow was arrested without incident at his home. A stolen loaded handgun, ammunition, illegal drugs, $10,000 in cash and other items indicative of drug trafficking were seized from the home, police said. 

Okeymow is set to make his next court appearance Friday.

An unusual step

Legal experts agree that it's uncommon to lay manslaughter charges against someone who sold a gun later used in a homicide, but opinions vary about how likely it is that there will a conviction.

Edmonton criminal defence lawyer Brian Beresh is skeptical that prosecutors will be able to prove the fatal shootings were foreseeable to Okeymow. 

"It's a long stretch to try to attach liability to the vendor, and I don't think it will succeed," he said.

But University of Alberta criminologist Temitope Oriola says there is legal room for someone to be convicted of manslaughter without pulling the trigger.

"This is not an outlandish step. It's very much in the books and has been in the books for decades," Oriola said, adding that he believes prosecutors will likely argue that Okeymow aided and abetted the shootings.

"Even if he were in Cancun, Mexico when those offences were carried out, he will still be charged."