‘No reason’: Mother of man killed by police officer in 2023 speaks out after charges laid

The mother of a man shot and killed by a police officer is thankful charges have been laid but skeptical about the judicial process moving forward.

The mother of a man shot and killed by police two years ago says she is thankful a Calgary officer has been charged in connection with his death but remains skeptical about the judicial process moving forward.

Lena Wildman, Levon Fox’s mother, says her son should still be alive.

“There’s no reason for my son to be killed,” she said.

“My son was not given the opportunity to show his hands or get out of the vehicle.”

Wildman’s other son was also in the vehicle but was taken into custody.

Const. Craig Stothard, a 15-year veteran of the Calgary Police Service, faces two counts of second-degree murder following an investigation by Alberta’s police watchdog, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).

The investigation found evidence that met the standard for prosecution.

Fox and Wesley Davidson, the driver of the vehicle, were killed following a slow-speed pursuit.

“Not only was that officer shooting at the driver, he was shooting at the passengers, too, which is even more egregious,” said criminal defence lawyer Tom Engel.

Engel is representing Fox’s family.

“Nobody can remember an on-duty officer in Alberta ever being charged with a criminal offence of murder,” said Engel.

Wildman says she questions how police operated that day, May 29, 2023.

“I don’t think that officer did a proper threat assessment,” she said.

Engel adds that while ASIRT has recommended charges in previous cases, prosecutors do not always pursue them.

“I’m hoping that this is not a one-off, and this is evidence of a new approach being taken by the Minister of Justice and the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service,” he said.

Despite the charges, Fox’s family is remaining cautious about the legal proceedings.

“My fear is that he will be given special treatment simply because he’s a police officer,” Wildman said.

Stothard is out on bail and scheduled to appear in court Thursday.