Calgary Police Officer to Stand Trial for Murder After Two Die in Slow-Speed Chase

A Calgary police officer charged with two counts of second-degree murder will stand trial in connection with the deaths of two men during a slow-speed police pursuit in 2023.

A judge ordered a trial for 52-year-old Const. Craig Stothard on Tuesday, following the conclusion of a preliminary inquiry. The inquiry was held to determine whether there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.

Stothard was charged after Wesley Davidson and Levon Boyce Fox were shot and killed on May 29, 2023, following a police pursuit involving a stolen cube van.

Police had responded to a report of suspicious people on private property. When officers arrived, the suspects fled in the van. Video of the pursuit showed several police vehicles following the van at a very slow speed.

Police said at the time that “rapidly changing dynamics” led one officer to shoot at the occupants of the van.

Stothard, who remains on leave from the Calgary Police Service, now faces a full trial on the two second-degree murder charges.