WATCH ABOVE: A massive show of support, and a call for justice Saturday.For a young man who was shot and killed by police in a Calgary hotel room. The father on Anthony Heffernan knows his son can’t come back.But wants to prevent this kind of tragedy, from ever happening again. Carolyn Kury de Castillo has that story.
CALGARY – More than 100 people showed up at the Calgary Courts Centre Saturday morning, for a protest shining a spotlight on Calgary police following the deadly shooting of Anthony Heffernan.
The 27-year-old was shot to death by police inside a northeast motel in March.
Heffernan’s family says the journeyman electrician was battling a drug addiction, and is raising questions about his death.
Anthony’s dad, Pat Hefferman said their focus is to seek truth and justice.
“Hopefully to bring about changes, so this never happens again anyone to anyone to any family,” he said. “Canadians take pride in having a just society but because of a perversion of Justice, Anthony was taken away from us.”
“We do not have a just society if police can come to a wellness check, kick in a door, taser and shoot an unarmed man four times once in the chest and three times in the head,” Heffernan said.
Police were called after he failed to check out of his room.
CPS said officers tried to talk to Heffernan through the locked door, but entered the room after he was deemed to be in medical distress.
Police said officers were confronted with a high risk situation, and Heffernan approached them holding a lighter and syringe.
When they were unable to subdue Heffernan with a taser, officers fired off five shots.
Three of the shots hit Heffernan in the head, and another in the chest.
“You cannot say that a person who has only a lighter and a small syringe should be dealt with with such a lethal force. And we only have that knowledge from what they have said.”
Pat Hefferman says his son was not a threat to anyone.
“He did not cause a disturbance of any kind. This must never happen again in Calgary or Canada.”
“He had such high hopes for himself in all aspects of his life. We too are people of hope and we hope the truth and justice will prevail for Anthony,” Heffernan said. “We must have the utmost respect for human life and for human dignity. We hope that no other person will be killed in Calgary or Canada when they’re posing no threat to anyone.”
Natalie Iaquinta, Anthony’s sister said the support from the community has been has given her family hope.
“Overwhelming, it’s just the word that describes how we’ve been feeling through this whole ordeal,” she said. “When we found out that something was being put on, on behalf of Anthony, it definitely gave our family hope for the kind of support that we need for people to stand by us at this time.”
“We just hope that maybe today’s the day that we wake up. It’s just such a tragedy and it was preventable,” Iaquinta said.
“He (Anthony) struggled every day. And he was so strong. Most of us come home from work and we might have a glass of wine or a beer and he really wanted to to but he never did. He lived sober. And sometimes he fell. He wanted to live,”Iaquinta said.
Danny Hammond, Anthony’s cousin, organized the rally and says police should have done something different in the situation.
“In my opinion, it was not the right protocol in what they chose to do, like pretty much execute my cousin in a hotel room,” Hammond said. “It’s wrong what happened. There’s so many different options they could have chosen, instead of putting three rounds into my cousins head.”
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