First officers at the scene testify in trial of London, Ont., man accused of murdering Muslim family
CBC
Just 12 shifts into his career as a police officer, Const. Mike Olszowy was dispatched to the intersection of Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road in London, Ont., on June 6, 2021, where a Muslim family had been struck by a black pickup truck.
"The call was for a vehicle that had struck a pedestrian," Olszowy told the jury on Thursday in Windsor Superior Court at the murder trial of Nathaniel Veltman. "As I went to the call, we learned there was maybe more than one victim and the driver had taken off."
Veltman, 22, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, as well as associated terrorism charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
"I immediately noticed a police officer attending to a victim in the middle of the southbound lanes of Hyde Park Road," Olszowy's training officer, Const. Brock Dease, told the court on Thursday. "I exited my vehicle and saw a woman lying face down, motionless."
Five members of the Afzaal family were on an evening stroll on June 6, 2021, when they were struck by the accused's truck. Yumnah Afzaal, 15, her parents, Madiha Salman, 44, and Salman Afzaal, 46, and family matriarch Talat Afzaal, 74, were killed. A boy who was nine years old at the time survived.
The trial was moved from London, Ont., to Windsor, Ont. Reasons for the move are covered by a publication ban.
Olszowy had rushed to the scene in his cruiser with Dease, who was overseeing him because he was so early in his career.
During his testimony on Thursday, Dease's voice broke as he recounted the injuries he saw on Talat Afzaal, the oldest member of the family. She was not responsive at the chaotic scene with multiple crash victims, people trying to help them, and others watching.
Bystanders were "yelling and screaming" for him to help another victim, the nine-year-old survivor, who was conscious and crying and asking questions, Dease testified.
Dease also tended to the boy's teenage sister, who was moving her head. The court previously heard that Yumnah Afzaal was rushed to hospital with vital signs but efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.
Earlier on Thursday, Det. Michah Bourdeau concluded his three days of testimony and cross examination by defence attorney Christopher Hicks, who asked him repeatedly if the accused's state of mind concerned the officer during two interviews following his arrest.
"His demeanour in the second interview was subdued. He was quieter and more subdued," than the night before, Bourdeau said.
The officer disputed defence suggestions that jail cells are deliberately kept cold and food and drink are withheld to make suspects more willing to speak.
"There is no protocol to increase someone's vulnerability, no trickery, no intent to take advantage of people," Bourdeau said.
East of the small village of Coutts, Alta., a stone’s throw from the border with the United States, Cindy Bosch’s day-to-day life looks much like it did a year ago.
For years, police have been on the front lines of mental health crisis calls in Toronto, but the city's police chief believes it's now time to rethink that approach.
One of Prince Edward Island’s last surviving Second World War veterans has died.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada has too much regulation and not enough investments in clean energy and technology — and he's making his most direct repudiation yet of his predecessor's environmental policies.
WARNING: This story contains distressing content, including racist, violent and antisemitic language.
A national Jewish advocacy organization is taking legal action against Manitoba's medical regulator over a complaint it made last year alleging a prominent doctor made antisemitic comments on social media.
A cat that went missing in a remote area of northeastern B.C. is finally back home with its family in Oklahoma, five months later.
It wasn’t clear trolleys would be a hit in Medicine Hat, but the Sunshine Trolley has wound its way into Hatters’ hearts.
More than 200 volunteers and politicians gathered in Etobicoke Saturday for the Daily Bread Food Bank’s holiday sort.
The rising cost-of-living has already made supporting a family difficult this year. But, the holidays can make staying on budget that much harder.
Strong winds across the Maritimes left thousands of N.B. Power customers without electricity on Saturday afternoon — and it could be days before all customers have their power restored.
Toronto police say they located a body inside a downtown Toronto home Saturday.
Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge is responding to public outcry against his government’s policy changes for non-permanent residents by making a plea to the federal government.