Family devastated: Calgary officer who fatally shot son won’t be charged
CALGARY — The parents of a man shot dead by Calgary police while he was holding a syringe in a hotel room say they’re devastated the officer won’t be charged and they’ll keep fighting to ensure another family does not have to endure a similar tragedy.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team initially found there were grounds to charge the officer in the March 2015 death of Anthony Heffernan, but the Crown later determined a conviction would be unlikely, so it decided that no charges would be laid.
“This is a very, very sad day for all of Albertans and Canadians alike,” said Heffernan’s father, Pat. “We’ve had a young man murdered by the Calgary police and it’s being swept under the rug.”
Heffernan, who was 27, was shot four times — twice in the head — in his room at a Super 8 hotel near the city’s airport.