Edmonton police commissioners made no legal errors in upholding an unpaid suspension for an officer who leaked case files to the media, a judge has ruled.

Court of King’s Bench Justice Denise Kiss sided with Chief Dale McFee and the Edmonton Police Commission late last month in the case of Daniel Behiels, a detective who claimed Edmonton Police Service executives protected notorious landlord Abdullah Shah from prosecution.
Article content

Behiels admitted to leaking 58 gigabytes of investigative material to the CBC, which formed the basis of a series on unsuccessful investigations into Shah. Behiels claimed efforts to investigate Shah for organized crime offences were stymied, telling McFee in a memo that Shah developed “close-knit relationships with senior EPS executive officers” who engaged in “corrupt acts that … effectively insulated this criminal organization from investigation and prosecution.”

Calgary police probed the allegations and found “no criminality or evidence of corruption by the EPS and its members,” EPS said.

Kiss’s decision leaves Behiels in limbo. He has not been charged under the Police Act — the typical route EPS must take to fire an officer, which entails a public disciplinary hearing. But he remains unpaid and cannot seek alternative work without the service’s permission, he said.

Internal documents show a special unit branded a defence lawyer ‘anti-police’ and closely monitored his online statements.

Police officers who shot and killed a teenage boy in Wetaskiwin last week believed the boy was at risk, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said on Thursday.

Hoss Lightning-Saddleback, 15, was fatally shot by Mounties in Wetaskiwin in the early morning hours of Aug. 30.

Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News Edmonton, right at your fingertips(opens in a new tab)

According to ASIRT, Lightning-Saddleback made a 911 call at 12:28 a.m. stating he was being followed by a group of people who wanted to harm him.

At 12:43 a.m., an officer came across the teen in the area of 56 Street and 37A Avenue in Wetaskiwin.

In an interaction captured by the officer's in-car video system, the two spoke about the situation, and Lightning-Saddleback gave the officer a machete and a knife that he had in his possession.

"The youth provided information to the officer. The officer determined that the youth was at risk and attempted to apprehend the youth and search him as well as his backpack," ASIRT said in a Thursday release. "While initially co-operative, the youth fled before being apprehended, running a short distance away."

The officer followed the teen in his cruiser, and was joined by other officers with their in-car video systems activated.

According to ASIRT, they followed Lightning-Saddleback to a field.

"The officers approached and got out of their vehicles. At this point a confrontation occurred and two officers discharged their firearms."

"The youth was struck by gunfire and fell to the ground. First aid was provided. EMS attended and transported the youth to the hospital where he died."