Sacred fire honours teen killed in crash

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This article was published 10/10/2023 (729 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A sacred fire was burning in Brandon over the weekend, and a walk was held in memory of Antoine Sutherland, a 15-year-old who was struck and killed Thursday afternoon while on his bicycle in the intersection of Victoria Avenue and McDiarmid Drive.

Dale Turcotte, a member of Rolling River First Nation and a friend of Sutherland’s family, said a sacred fire is lit when someone passes away in Indigenous culture. Sutherland was Indigenous and Ethiopian.

Some of Sutherland’s family from Ethiopia who are currently living in California made their way to Brandon this weekend, said Turcotte, who was keeping watch over the sacred fire at the boy’s grandmother’s place, where his parents and the rest of the family had gathered.

“The sacred fire burns for four days while the deceased makes their journey to the spirit world. Men are the fire keepers, and they have to make sure the fire doesn’t go out in that four days, and make sure nothing is put in the fire except wood and sacred medicine,” Turcotte said.

As the Sun previously reported, the collision happened before 5 p.m. on Thursday as Sutherland was heading north on McDiarmid Drive when he was struck by a westbound vehicle. The Brandon Police Service is looking for witnesses and businesses that may have security cameras that captured the fatal collision.

Const. Amanda Conway said on Friday that the scene had been reconstructed by investigators, and that some witnesses had come forward.

“We are still looking for anyone else who may have witnessed it, including businesses who have video cameras,” she said.

On Friday afternoon, Brandon School Division released a statement extending deep condolences to family and friends during this difficult time, who may be dealing with the death of the Vincent Massey student.

A GoFundMe set up by Barb Patten had already surpassed its goal of $12,000 yesterday, at $12,165 at time of writing. That money is going to providing assistance and relief for the family, the GoFundMe website stated. A memorial fund in honour of Sutherland is another goal of the website, it stated, to support causes that were close his heart.

The next steps in the investigation, Conway said, will focus on analysis from the scene, looking for additional witnesses and gathering video.

A safety message and reminder from Conway included: “As a cyclist, you should be dismounting off your bike and walking your bike across. And as a driver, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Make sure you’re paying attention not only to the roads and what the rules are of the road, but also what’s going on around you.”

Anyone with information about Thursday afternoon’s fatal collision at the intersection of Victoria Avenue and McDiarmid Drive is asked to contact the Brandon Police Service traffic section at 204-729-2345.

Turcotte said Sutherland’s mother wanted to thank the community for coming together to mourn and remember her son.

» mleybourne@brandonsun.com, with files from Michele McDougall

» X: @miraleybourne