Emergency town hall on police violence after shooting death of Mathios Arkangelo

An emergency town hall meeting took place in north Edmonton on Friday evening focusing on policing and concerns about police violence towards racialized individuals.

The meeting comes nearly two weeks after the tragic death of Mathios Arkangelo, a 28-year-old who was fatally shot by a police officer on June 29.

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“I’m just heartbroken that again, we’re here and we’re having this exact same conversation,” said activist Haruun Ali, who organized Friday’s town hall. “And I’m really hoping that this time around it can be different and I’m really hoping it will be different, especially with the community, that we’re able to get out and we’re able to mobilize again for justice for this young man, for this young father, for that family.

“That family that does not deserve for this to happen.”

According to the Edmonton police, a patrol officer responded to a single vehicle rollover at 150 Avenue and Anthony Henday drive involving a driver suspected to be under the influence.

Reports indicated Arkangelo fled the scene on foot prior to EPS arriving. A short time later, EPS located Arkangelo. According to reports, he stopped walking and raised his arms to his sides while facing the officer, who had his gun drawn. Both the officer and the man spoke to each other before the officer fired his gun.

Despite receiving medical attention, the man died at the scene from gunshot wounds.

“We need to understand that that police brutality is a very much Canadian issue,” said Trent Daley, a speaker at Friday’s event. “And it shouldn’t be something we need to educate people on in 2024. That’s why I encourage people to watch things like the ‘Safer for All’ documentary based in Edmonton or ‘No Visible Trauma’ based in Calgary. Those are Canadian documentaries about a problem that is very much a Canadian one.”

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the province’s police watchdog, is currently investigating the incident.