Edmonton police to provide update in shooting that killed two officers

Edmonton police to provide update in shooting that killed two officers

Edmonton police will be holding a press conference on Thursday to provide an update on their investigation into an incident that left two officers dead last week.

Edmonton constables Travis Jordan, 35 and Brett Ryan, 30, were gunned down in the early morning hours last Thursday after responding to a family dispute in the city’s northwest.

On Thursday, Edmonton police said they believed but have not yet confirmed that the teenager who killed the officers was also responsible for a shooting at a nearby Pizza Hut on March 12.

They say a bullet casing recovered from the scene has been forensically matched to the firearm that was recovered at the apartment.

They said they are working to trace the origins of the firearm and how the youth acquired it.

Investigators say they believe the shooter’s parents, police dispatch and the constables who responded to the call had no information about there being a firearm in the home.

“Both events have been served by robust investigations that have followed all lines of inquiry,” said Deputy Chief Devin Laforce. “All tips and other investigative avenues were pursued exhaustively by the investigating teams.”

An autopsy has been completed on the 16-year-old male and determined the cause of death was a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The man shot at the Pizza Hut remains in hospital in critical but stable condition, while the shooter’s mother remains in hospital in serious but stable condition.

Police say both officers were shot multiple times by a 16-year-old shooter and “immediately incapacitated.” Police said they never had a chance to draw their weapons.

A family friend called Roman Shewchuk 'very, very troubled.'

Jordan, originally from Nova Scotia, had served as an officer for eight and a half years. He was remembered for his kindness, including one moment during the early months of the pandemic where he helped a woman clear snow off of her vehicle instead of ticketing her — a video of the incident went viral and earned Jordan the nickname “snow angel.”

Ryan, a longtime minor hockey referee and former paramedic, was described as passionate about helping people and his community. His was about to become a father when he was killed.

On Wednesday, the Star identified the teenage shooter as Roman Zoltan Shewchuk, who a family friend said seemed to be struggling with mental health challenges.

Shewchuk’s mother Katya Nod, 55, was also shot during the altercation. Police said at their last media update last Friday that she was in stable but serious condition.

After shooting the officers and his mother, Shewchuk turned the gun on himself and died, police said.

Police have said there had been at least one mental health call to the apartment prior to the shooting.

Evan Oddleifson, a family friend, said the family was constantly interacting with the health-care system.

Police said a 73-year-old man was also in the unit when the shooting occurred. One nearby resident identified the man as Nod’s ex-husband, who was staying there.

According to divorce records obtained by the Star, Nod (whose legal name at the time of the divorce was Kateryna Shewchuk) married Ronald Shewchuk in Edmonton on Jan. 26, 2003. They separated in 2013 and finalized their divorce in 2016.

The court records say that Nod (her surname at birth) was born in Tyachevo, Ukraine. Oddleifson said she had lived in Canada in the past, but had been living in Ukraine more recently and moved to Canada after the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A regimental funeral for the two fallen officers is scheduled for Monday.

With files from Kieran Leavitt

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