A vigil was held for two Calgary men who were shot and killed by police last year after a police chase.
On May 29, 2023, police said they were informed of three impaired and suspicious individuals by a security guard. The Calgary Police Service said they believed the three people fled in a cube van before colliding with a barricade as they sped away.
At the time, police said the incident began on Manning Close Northeast at around 10 a.m. and escalated at around 11 a.m.
Police said the cube van was stolen and several intersections were closed to prevent the van from getting into the downtown core.
Police said they tried to stop the vehicle and trap it but the van driver was able to maneuver through the containment tools and continued towards officers.
A 13-year member of the CPS shot the van at around 11 a.m.
Two people were dead and one suspect was taken into custody, police said.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team was asked to investigate the incident shortly after. A spokesperson said the incident is still under investigation and no further information can be provided.
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A spokesperson for the Calgary Police Service said the force is “fully participating in the ASIRT investigation and will await its findings.”
Levon Fox, 39, was one of the people killed that day. Lena Wildman, Fox’s mother, said she wanted to celebrate his life and share stories about him. Fox added that she wants Calgarians to know the stories behind those who were killed that day last year.
“My son was always a helper. He was also helping others,” she told Global News. “All people see is the whole crime scene. That is all people see.”
Fox said her eldest son, who survived the shooting, is still dealing with trauma that he experienced.
“The reason why we wanted to do this is because we want to put some humanity in this whole thing, because he was working on his life. He did a lot. He was going through detox to get off the drugs. As hard as it was, he was able to,” she said. “The reason why he was out there is because he was looking out for someone else. He was looking out for his brother.”
Tara McCugh knew Fox since high school and wanted to support and honour him at the vigil. She said she felt emotional and missed him a lot.
“It’s been a difficult (last year) for my daughter, especially since her father was an addict in the past and he was trying to get clean … I’m just trying to support her and get her back on track and living life. Even a year later, I do see sadness,” McCugh said.
McCugh said she’s been trying to get more information about what happened that day. Her daughter and her ex-mother-in-law are trying to get information from the courts.
“It wasn’t right. We have seen the videos … There’s no need for guns to be used to stop the vehicle that was travelling at a very slow speed. We want to bring awareness to people on what exactly happened that day,” she said.
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