Manitoba’s chief medical examiner has called an inquest into the death of Eishia Hudson.
Hudson, a 16-year-old Indigenous girl, was killed by an unnamed Winnipeg police officer last April after a chase in a stolen Jeep following an alleged robbery at a liquor store.
At the time, Winnipeg police said Hudson was driving the SUV, which ran into a police cruiser and a number of other cars near Lagimodiere Boulevard and Fermor Avenue.
A release from the chief medical examiner’s office Friday said an autopsy ruled Hudson’s death a homicide, however a months-long investigation into the police shooting by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba earlier this year recommended no criminal charges against the officer.
Hudson’s father, William Hudson, called the police watchdog’s report a whitewash and said police could have used non-lethal force.
He is calling for a broad public inquiry into police-related deaths of Indigenous people, as is Nahanni Fontaine, justice critic for Manitoba’s Opposition New Democrats.
While there are no plans for a public inquiry, Manitoba’s advocate for children and youth has said her office will also investigate the shooting death.
A start date for the inquest called Friday has yet to be determined.
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