Teen killed by Winnipeg police needed more support from government, schools, report says

Eishia Hudson did not always receive the support she needed from Manitoba's government and school systems before she was shot and killed by a Winnipeg police officer in 2020, a new report says.

Troubling details about Hudson's life were revealed in the report released on Thursday by the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth. The report, titled Memengwaa Wiidoodaagewin (Butterfly Project): Honouring Eishia Hudson, will be submitted to an upcoming inquest into her death.

The report says while Hudson did sometimes get the support she needed to cope with the challenges she experienced, those supports were not always there.

"Like a butterfly fluttering from one flower to another, Eishia touched upon numerous service areas but struggled to find support within these systems," Sherry Gott, Manitoba's advocate for children and youth, said at a news conference at Thunderbird House on Thursday. 

Hudson was 16 when she was shot and killed by a Winnipeg police officer following a car chase in which police say she drove a vehicle that was involved in a liquor store robbery in Winnipeg's Sage Creek neighbourhood.

Police had stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Lagimodiere Boulevard and Fermor Avenue, and as they were trying to apprehend the occupants of the vehicle, an officer fired his gun at the driver. 

Hudson was sent to Health Sciences Centre, where she later died. An autopsy found Hudson died from a gunshot wound in her chest. She was one of three Indigenous people who were shot and killed by police in Winnipeg over 10 days in spring 2020.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU), Manitoba's police watchdog, investigated the death and said in January 2021 that it did not recommend charges against the officer who shot Hudson.

The purpose of the Manitoba advocate's report is to share Hudson's story, review the services that were provided to her and her family, amplify racialized youths' perspectives on the policing in Manitoba and make recommendations that could improve public services for Manitoba children and families, it says.

The report made four recommendations: create a youth model of the alternative response to citizens in crisis program, which offers support to people experiencing mental health crises in Winnipeg; consult youth on a public safety training strategy; hold an evaluation of the wraparound services available in school divisions across Manitoba; and expand the availability of those services. 

"Our goal with this report is to inspire action," Gott says.

Grand Chief Cathy Merrick with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is hopeful the government moves quickly to address the recommendations.

"A lot of times we do reports and they collect dust without any feedback or participation from whomever." 

School-based wraparound services

Born in Winnipeg in June 2003, Hudson "was a colourful person with the ability to brighten a room with her humour and laughter," the report says.

She was an Ojibway member of Berens River First Nation, about 360 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Both of Hudson's parents were incarcerated when she was two, and she spent her youth in foster homes, emergency placement resource shelters and other living accommodations.

She also struggled in school, with low attendance and changes in her behaviour that were "consistent with a child struggling to belong, find connection, feel safe, and trust the adults in charge of her care," the report says.

Hudson benefited from school-based wraparound services she received through the province's COACH 1 program, a community-based program that provides emotional, behavioural and academic wraparound intervention for children and youth age five to 11. It also has an expansion program for those age 12 to 15.

"The wraparound supports worked for Eishia. While she was enrolled in COACH 1, she was engaged, attending, setting goals for the future, and overall was doing well," the report says.

But when Hudson was no longer eligible for COACH because of her age, her school attendance dropped.

"The level of support experienced by Eishia during her time in COACH is starkly contrasted to the following years in which she was not involved in the program," the report says.

The report recommends that the province evaluate the COACH program and consider expanding it to more school divisions or spaces and to students 16 or older.

An unnamed government spokesperson said in a statement that the province is currently reviewing the report and its recommendations.

The statement adds the government has made progress on a number of related initiatives following Hudson's death, including supporting the development of new Indigenous Child and Family Services agencies and expanding supports for missing children who are considered to be high risk.

The report stated that Hudson had numerous interactions with the Winnipeg Police Service throughout her life, despite never being charged with a criminal offence. It is the experience of many youth that come into contact with the children's advocate office, according to the report.

"The potential negative consequences of police contact indicate that unnecessary and punitive contact must be mitigated when in the best interests of children and youth," the report said.

Violence, racial discrimination

The document looked beyond Hudson's personal experience to also consult with 35 other youth, most of whom identified as Indigenous or Black, about their experiences with police. Gott says it's her office's responsibility to amplify the voices of all youth in its work.

The report says youth who came into contact with police felt uncomfortable and judged, and that interactions were characterized by violence, verbal abuse or threats, unprofessional conduct and racial discrimination. 

Young people have "a tremendous amount of insight" into how police can improve their relationships with racialized youth, including by recognizing young people's unique needs and taking youth seriously, by being held accountable, and by addressing race-based discrimination, the report says.

The Winnipeg Police Service didn't respond to a request for comment.

In March 2021, Manitoba's chief medical examiner called an inquest into Hudson's death in accordance with the Fatality Inquiries Act, which says an inquest must be called if a person died as a result of use of force by a peace officer acting in the course of duty. The date of the inquest has not yet been released.

Hudson's family, the Winnipeg Police Service, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs' Family Advocates Office and the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth have all received permission to participate in the inquest.

Report on Eishia Hudson calls for youth-centred strategy to train police in Manitoba

2 years ago

Duration 1:59

The Manitoba Children's Advocate has four recommendations to government and police in light of the death of Eisha Hudson. She was 16-years-old when she was shot to death by police after a pursuit. Advocate Sherry Gott says Hudson was a bright teen who loved to laugh and light up a room. But she did not always receive the support necessary to help her succeed.