'I assumed': Mountie on trial says he trusted information about man he shot
An Alberta Mountie charged in the fatal shooting of a man who had been sleeping in a pickup truck at a rest stop says he trusted information from a fellow officer that the man was wanted as a suspect.
Cpl. Randy Stenger and Const. Jessica Brown have pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault of Clayton Crawford near Whitecourt, Alta., on July 3, 2018.
A jury has heard that Stenger and Brown shot Crawford 10 times, and the officers have testified that they acted in self-defence.
Stenger says Brown told him the man in the truck at the rest stop was a suspect in a shooting a day earlier in the hamlet of Valhalla Centre.
Crawford's girlfriend was shot in the leg and his purple truck and other vehicles were seen leaving the area, but the jury has heard that Crawford may have been a target in that shooting.
Stenger, under cross-examination by the Crown, told the jury that he believed the information Brown gave him about Crawford being a suspect and that it was the only information available at the time.
"I assumed, I trusted the information," said Stenger, adding it was Brown's responsibility to collect as much information as possible about the man in the truck.
On Thursday, Stenger testified that he had more questions for Brown about the person in the truck as they approached the vehicle at the Chickadee Creek rest stop.
He said, "(Brown) sounded pretty confident that it could have been the target or potential shooter in the vehicle."
Prosecutor Peter Scrutton said there's a difference between a suspect and a target.
"When you learn this contradictory information from Const. Brown -- either shooter or victim -- you’ve got an obligation to clarify before you act," Scrutton told Stenger.
Stenger repeated that he trusted the information Brown gave him.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.