All charges related to fatal crash investigation dropped against Calgary officers but police won't say why
CBC
With no explanation given, all charges were withdrawn Wednesday against three police officers accused of failing in their duties the night a confessed drunk driver killed two pedestrians.
Chris Turner, 25, and Edyta Wal, 23, were crossing Macleod Trail at 90th Avenue S.E. in a crosswalk on Aug. 25, 2012, when they were hit by a Jetta.
At the scene, the man driving that car told at least one officer he'd been drinking and showed physical signs of being impaired, according to the police file.
Still, officers did not demand a breath or blood sample and the man was never charged.
Last year — following a 2014 complaint made to the Calgary Police Service by a lawyer for the Wal family — Chief Mark Neufeld charged three officers, including Const. Grant Maveal, with neglect of duty and discreditable conduct under the Alberta Police Act.
The three officers accused of failing in their duties were Maveal, Const. R. MacDonald and Const. T. Rutherford.
Those charges were all withdrawn Wednesday nearly 10 years after Wal and Turner were killed. CBC News has requested a comment or statement from CPS.
The Turner family issued a written statement saying they had "expected more" but "are not surprised by the outcome."
"Just shy of a decade, the CPS has once again failed in doing its due diligence in both investigating and holding those accountable for this crime," said the family.
Both families are upset, not only because of the withdrawn charges but because they've been promised an explanation and have yet to receive one.
In several emails sent to both the victims' families and CBC News, CPS said the reason the hearing was adjourned in October was so that the service could prepare "a detailed statement of the facts surrounding the accident."
The detailed statement would help the public and victims' families understand what happened and why the charges were being dropped, said CPS at the time.
Police told CBC News in October that the service would explain on Dec. 1 how new legislative changes "have clarified when police officers can legally collect blood samples for potential alcohol impairment."
The hearing lasted just 2½ minutes and no statement was read.
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