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In an unprecedented move by local police investigators, an Edmonton man is charged with manslaughter for putting a gun in the hands of a young shooter who killed two Edmonton city police officers in March.

Police said Wednesday a 19-year-old sold a .22-calibre semi-automatic rifle to a 16-year-old who then killed Edmonton city police constables Brett Ryan and Travis Jordan on March 16. The young gunman also shot his mother, and a Pizza Hut employee days earlier, before killing himself with the same gun.

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Forensics linked the bullets from the weapon  recovered at the Inglewood apartment where the constables were answering a domestic disturbance call at 132 Street and 114 Avenue to the shooting of a Pizza Hut worker in the same neighbourhood near 133 Street and 114 Avenue on March 12.

The 19-year-old is facing three counts of criminal negligence causing death and three counts of manslaughter in the deaths of the constables and the shooter, and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm to the shooter’s mother and to the restaurant worker.

“What was unique about this situation was the chain of evidence that allowed us to get to those charges,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart, who is in charge of the city police guns and gangs division.

“The ability to obtain good evidence in this investigation … makes us investigators believe that (the accused) trafficked this firearm to the youth, and then from there these events took place,” Stewart said, adding that the Crown, whose prosecutors must try the case, supports the charges.

Authorities believe the 19-year-old sold the gun directly to the young gunman shortly before the March 12 shooting. Court documents suggest that was sometime between January and February of this year.

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Stewart said it’s one of the most complex and tragic investigations he’s ever been part of.

“A 16-year-old should never have been able to get his hands on a gun,” he said.

“It’s heartbreaking that the trafficking of this rifle to this youth has led to multiple deaths and life-altering injuries, not to mention the trauma suffered by all the families involved.”

Trafficking in Edmonton

Many firearms make their way through many hands to Edmonton streets.

A number of domestic trafficking cases involve a “straw buyer” — someone with a legitimate gun licence who buys the gun to sell to someone who shouldn’t have it.

A small number of street guns are stolen in break-and-enters, Stewart said.

Importation from the U.S. is on the rise as well, he said.

“We’re seeing a lot more firearms on the streets,” he said.

In this case, the gun was originally purchased by a legitimate, up-and-up gun buyer from a retail seller in Edmonton before changing hands and eventually making it into the possession of the accused before he resold it, Stewart said.

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“This firearm was lawfully purchased at some point before it started making its circulation,” he said.

The accused was 18 when the shooting occurred.

Police don’t believe the 19-year-old was part of a gang. They do believe he was involved in illegal drug trafficking and that he was known to the young shooter before he sold him the gun.

A person who traffics a weapon, putting a gun into the hand of someone who shouldn’t have it, “ought to know what could happen,” Stewart said.

When they searched the home of the accused, they also seized a loaded handgun.

Aftermath

Stewart said there’s no evidence to suggest the youth had either pre-planned the shootings or that he had any other intention than what he did.

The victims’ families and colleagues are still living with the grief and loss, said city police Supt. Nicole Chapdelaine.

The surviving Pizza Hut employee, who was 55 when he was shot, is “physically still healing, there’s a lot of damage done, some of that he’ll live with forever. Psychologically, he’s still suffering,” Stewart said.

“It’s taken quite a toll on him, that kind of damage manifests itself in a lot of different ways in his life,” he said.

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“The mother of our shooter, physically she’s mostly healed, she’s out of hospital, and she has some lasting damage as well … psychologically as well. She’s in pain, she’s got some challenges, and that’s got a big ripple effect throughout her family as well. “

Dennis Okeymow is charged with three counts of manslaughter, three counts of criminal negligence causing death, two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, firearms trafficking, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition, and other drug trafficking-related charges.

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