'We shouldn't be scared': Family of man killed by police call for officer's suspension

Demonstrators gathered in downtown Edmonton on Aug. 17, 2024, to call for the suspension of the Edmonton police officer who shot and killed Mathios Arkangelo in June. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)

Chants of "no justice, no peace" were heard in downtown Edmonton on Saturday at a rally in honour of a man shot and killed by an Edmonton police officer.

A crowd gathered outside the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) headquarters to call for the suspension of the officer who fatally shot 28-year-old father Mathios Arkangelo on a residential street in Fraser the night of June 29.

At the time, police said he matched the description of a driver who had walked away from a single-vehicle rollover on Anthony Henday Drive.

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Ana Odo, Mathios' mother, said if her son had done something wrong, he should have been arrested – not shot.

"I need justice for my son," Odo said. "When the police stop you, and the hands (are) supposed to be up, he did it. The police shot him."

"What happened to Mathios was heartbreaking, it was tragic," community organizer Harrun Ali said. "To send that officer back to work less than two months after he did that – I don't even know what to say.

"I'm not shocked, but I'm disgusted."

EPS said in a statement Friday that it could not comment on shooting, but did confirm that the officer involved had returned to work.

"We are confident that ASIRT will be conducting a thorough and independent investigation which the EPS will fully cooperate with. We trust that those who advocate for effective oversight for policing will also respect the system and process set up to do so," the statement read. 

Security footage

A compilation of security footage gathered by the family was posted to YouTube. In it, the interaction between Mathios and the officer leading up to the shooting can be seen from multiple angles.

At 9:08 on the YouTube video, Mathios' can be seen walking on the street as a police cruiser pulls up from the opposite direction.

He can be seen stopping more than a car-length away from the cruiser, pulling something out of his pocket and holding both his arms out to the side as the officer steps out and draws his gun. The time recorded by the camera is 9:22 p.m.

In an email, Tom Engle, a lawyer representing Mathios' family, said the item pulled out of Mathios pocket was a pocket knife.

"The family has no information about the reason for (Mathios) doing that with the knife but does know he used and carried it for lawful purposes and not as a weapon," Engle wrote.

Video taken from another angle, found on the YouTube video at 10:50, shows Mathios take a step forward with both arms out to the side. This is when he appears to be shot. The time recorded by the camera is 9:23 p.m.

Engle said timestamps on the videos show 28 minutes pass between when Mathios was shot and when the ambulance leaves.

CTV News has not seen the videos from the compilation in their entirety, and cannot independently verify if anything has been edited or removed.

Ana Odo (front left) holds a sign in honour of her son Mathios Arkangelo, who was killed by an Edmonton police officer in June, at a rally in downtown Edmonton on Aug. 17, 2024. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)

'A confrontation'

The day of the shooting, police said they were investigating a single-vehicle rollover on Anthony Henday Drive. When the officer found Mathios nearby, police said "a confrontation then took place" and the officer shot him. 

ASIRT said the officer pulled over where Mathios was walking around 9:22 p.m., and that Mathios stopped walking and raised his arms to his sides while facing the officer, who had exited his cruiser and drawn his gun. 

After speaking with each other, ASIRT said the officer shot Mathios. Neither ASIRT nor EPS have said how many shots were fired, or how many times Mathios was hit.

Neither agency reported a knife or any other weapon being found at the scene.

ASIRT investigators are looking for additional witnesses, and anyone who saw the shooting is asked to call 780-644-1483.

'Black men are scared'

On Friday, EPS said the unidentified officer who shot Mathios had returned to active duty after completing a "peer-driven" reintegration program.

Mathios's older brother Dini Arkangelo said that decision "sends out the wrong message."

"It shows that the police don't think he did anything wrong, even though everybody watching the 25-minute long video, (saw) my brother had his hands up," Dini said.

In addition to the suspension (without pay) of the officer, the family is demanding the release of Mathios' autopsy report – which they say they have not yet received – and a "prompt and thorough" ASIRT investigation.

Dini said if charges are not brought against the officer, the family will pursue every possible avenue, including a civil suit.

"If they let this officer walk, this sounds like a really, really, really bad message to the public that they're OK with that – with a man having his hands up getting gunned down," Dini said.

A GoFundMe set up to help Mathios' family with funeral and legal costs had raised $32,071 as of Saturday afternoon. 

Ali said the community will continue to rally behind the family, and he's disappointed to see little reaction about the shooting from city or provincial officials.

He said Mathios' death has impacted the broader community and left many people feeling unsafe.

"This could happen to any of us," Ali said. "Young Black men are scared … we shouldn't be scared of law enforcement."

EPS said in an email that it could not comment on the investigation, but that it "acknowledges the tragedy of this incident and recognizes the impact it has had on the victim’s family, the broader community and attending first responders."

According to EPS, there have been nine officer-involved shootings involving Edmonton police officers so far this year.

Information on how many of those officers had returned to active duty was not available as of Friday. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sean McClune