The family of Steven Nguyen expressed their dismay over the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) investigation into his fatal shooting by police in June 2021. While ASIRT found that there are reasonable grounds to believe an offense was committed, charges will not be laid against the officer involved.
“What happened to my brother should have never happened,” said Melisa Solano, Nguyen’s sister. “He was unarmed. He had no weapons. He didn’t deserve to die. We are shocked.”
On the night of the incident, Const. Alex Doduk and another Edmonton police officer responded to a call about a suspicious person holding a weapon. They claimed that when they arrived, Nguyen was carrying a bag and had an object with a handle sticking out of his pocket.
Doduk stated in a written report that he fired after Nguyen pulled out what he thought was a gun and pointed it. However, ASIRT concluded that Nguyen was actually holding a cell phone when he was shot multiple times.
ASIRT consulted with Crown prosecutors, who determined that it could not be proven that the officer’s actions were unreasonable. Therefore, no charges were recommended.
Nguyen’s family is devastated by this decision and is filing a lawsuit against the officers and the Edmonton Police Service. They believe that the officer should be held accountable for their actions.
The Edmonton Police Service expressed its condolences to Nguyen’s family and stated that the Professional Standards Branch will conduct an investigation under the Police Service Regulation.
Const. Doduk is currently facing charges of assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm relating to an arrest he made in 2019. These charges and the allegations made in the lawsuit have yet to be tested in court.
