Police anticipate charges in fatal collision

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This article was published 18/10/2023 (748 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police say they anticipate that charges will be laid in connection with the death of the 15-year boy who was struck by a vehicle and killed while riding his bicycle in the intersection of Victoria Avenue and McDiarmid Drive.

“We’re continuing to examine the evidence as it presents itself,” Brandon Police Service public information officer Sgt. Kirby Sararas told the Sun. “There’s many parts to this investigation that police need to look into before concluding it, which could include charges.”

Sararas said police expect at the conclusion of the investigation that charges will be laid against the 24-year-old driver involved in the incident, though she could not say what specific charges. The driver remained at the scene and has been cooperative with police, she said.

Police continue their investigation and continue to gather evidence, some of which consists of video of the incident from a business in the area and witnesses who gave statements to police, Sararas said.

“These are complicated investigations, and we want to make sure that we review all of the information,” she said. “And sometimes some of that information takes time for us to get the complete picture.”

Meanwhile, a memorial has been placed at the intersection for Antoine Sutherland, who was a Vincent Massey student.

Shortly before 5 p.m. on Oct. 5, Sutherland was heading north on McDiarmid Drive when he was struck by a westbound vehicle. He was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

At Monday’s city council meeting, Coun. Shaun Cameron requested that the city and the province work to conduct a safety review in that area, as Victoria Avenue is under provincial jurisdiction. City manager Ron Bowles said the engineering department will work with Cameron directly on the specifics of the safety review requests and that the department will provide an update by the end of November.

In 2018, Cameron raised pedestrian concerns about the portion of Victoria Avenue from 26th Street to Creighton Boulevard. At a council meeting the following year, in August 2019, the results of the safety review were provided. The Transportation Association of Canada’s Pedestrian Crossing Control Guide recommended that a pedestrian corridor or rectangular rapid flashing beacon be installed at any intersection where traffic volume exceeds 9,000 vehicle movements.

At the time, the review found that the daily traffic counts at the intersection of Victoria Avenue and McDiarmid Drive saw approximately 18,000 vehicles and 780 pedestrians.

A sacred fire and a walk in memory of the teen, who was Indigenous and Ethiopian, were held the weekend after he was killed.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

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