Chants of “no justice, no peace” echoed through downtown Edmonton on Saturday in honor of a man shot by Edmonton police.
A crowd gathered outside the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) headquarters to demand the arrest of the officer who fatally shot 28-year-old father Mathios Arkangelo on a residential street in Fraser on the night of June 29.
At the time, police said he matched the description of a driver who had walked away from a single-vehicle crash on Anthony Henday Drive.
Ana Odo, Mathios’ mother, said if her son had done anything wrong, he should have been arrested — not shot.
“I need justice for my son,” Odo said. “When the police stop you and the hands (are) supposedly going up, that’s what he did. The police shot him.”
“What happened to Mathios was heartbreaking, it was tragic,” community organizer Harrun Ali said. “Send that officer back to work less than two months after that — I don’t even know what to say.
“I’m not shocked, but I’m dismayed.”
The EPS said in a statement on Friday that it could not comment on the shooting, but confirmed that the police had returned to work.
“We are confident that ASIRT will conduct a thorough and independent investigation, with which EPS will fully cooperate. We trust that those who advocate for effective oversight of policing will also respect the system and process established for this purpose,” the statement said. .
Safety material
A collection of security footage collected by the family was posted on YouTube. In it, the interaction between Mathios and the officer that leads to the shooting is seen from many angles.
At 9:08 a.m. in the YouTube video, Mathios is seen walking down the street when a police cruiser pulls up from the opposite direction.
He can be seen stopping more than a car length away from the cruiser, pulling something from his pocket and holding both arms to his side as the officer steps out and draws his gun. The time recorded by the camera is 21:22
Video from another angle, found at the 10:50 mark of the YouTube video, shows Mathios taking a step forward with both hands to the side. In this case, he looks shot. The time recorded by the camera is 21:23
Tom Engle, an attorney representing Mathios’ family, said in an email that time stamps on the videos show that 28 minutes passed between when Mathios was shot and when the ambulance left.
CTV News has not seen the entire collection of videos and cannot independently verify whether anything has been edited or removed.
Ana Odo (front left) holds a sign in honor of her son Mathios Arkangelo, who was killed by Edmonton police in June during a protest in downtown Edmonton on August 17, 2024. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)
‘confrontation’
On the day of the shooting, police said they were investigating a single-vehicle crash on Anthony Henday Drive. When police found Mathios nearby, police said, “that’s when a confrontation occurred” and the officer shot him.
ASIRT said the officer stopped where Mathios was walking at approximately 9:22 p.m., and that Mathios stopped walking and raised his arms to his sides as he approached the officer, who had exited his cruiser and drawn his weapon.
After conferring with each other, the ASIRT said the officer shot Mathios. Neither ASIRT nor EPS have said how many shots were fired or how many times Mathios was hit.
Neither agency said a weapon was found at the scene.
ASIRT investigators are looking for more witnesses, and anyone who witnessed the shooting is asked to call 780-644-1483.
“Black men are afraid”
On Friday, EPS confirmed that the officer who shot Mathios had returned to active duty after completing a “peer-led” reintegration program.
Mathios’ older brother, Dini Arkangelo, said the decision “sends the wrong message.”
“It shows that the police didn’t think he did anything wrong, even though everyone watching the 25-minute video (saw) my brother had his hands up,” Dini said.
In addition to the officer’s arrest (without pay), the family is demanding the release of Mathios’ autopsy report — which they have yet to receive — and a “prompt and thorough” ASIRT investigation.
Dini said if no charges are brought against the police, the family will pursue all possible means, including civil litigation.
“If they let this officer walk, that’s going to send a really, really, really bad message to the public that they’re okay with that — when a guy has his hands up and gets shot down,” Dini said.
A GoFundMe set up to help Mathios’ family with funeral and legal expenses had raised $32,071 as of Saturday afternoon.
Ali said the community continues to rally behind the family, and he’s disappointed to see little reaction to the shooting from city or provincial officials.
He said Mathios’ death has affected the wider community and left many people feeling unsafe.
“This could happen to any of us,” Ali said. “Young black men are afraid … we shouldn’t be afraid of law enforcement.”
EPS said in an email that it could not comment on the investigation, but “recognizes the tragedy of this incident and recognizes the impact it has had on the victim’s family, the wider community and the first responders on the scene.”
According to EPS, there have been nine police shootings involving Edmonton officers this year.
Information on how many of those officers had returned to duty was not available Friday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune
