Family starts petition after manslaughter charge stayed

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/01/2024 (1029 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The family of a man who died after a violent altercation last year is questioning the police investigation into his death, according to an online petition published earlier this week.

The petition, which was published on Change.org on Monday, alleges a lack of a thorough investigation into the death of Andre Katzenellenbogen, 31.

Dennis Blacksmith, 36, was charged in June 2023 with manslaughter in Katzenellenbogen’s death. The manslaughter charge against Blacksmith was later dropped, the petition said.

“We demand that Brandon Police be held accountable for their systemic discrimination towards Indigenous peoples and improper investigations into crimes involving our community members,” the petition stated, citing statistics about the over-representation of Indigenous people as victims of homicide. Katzenellenbogen was Indigenous and German and was a member of Bloodvein First Nation.

The Sun confirmed that the manslaughter charge was stayed by prosecutors on Dec. 22, 2023. In court that day, the Crown said prosecutors in Winnipeg who were handling the case reviewed the evidence and determined it was unlikely the Crown could secure a conviction.

“Following a comprehensive review of the available evidence and being mindful of prosecutorial standards, the Crown is no longer satisfied that there’s a reasonable likelihood of conviction of the accused for the offence of manslaughter,” a Brandon Crown attorney, speaking on behalf of Winnipeg prosecutors, told the court on Dec. 22.

“It doesn’t take away the pain and heartbreak, but now it’s time to take action and use that pain for good,” Sary Innerst, who started the petition and is the mother of Katzenellenbogen’s girlfriend, told the Sun.

Katezenellenbogen’s mother, Denise Cook, remembers him as a loving son and father to a nine-month-old baby girl.

“He was funny, he was charismatic, he was very humble,” she told the Sun. “He loved laughing.”

Blacksmith is facing charges for failing to comply with probation and break and enter, but was released from custody after the manslaughter charge was stayed.

At the time of the Katzenellenbogen’s death, police said Blacksmith and Katzenellenbogen got into a verbal argument in the 700 block of Louise Avenue around 4 a.m. on June 10, 2023. The argument turned physical, they said.

Katzenellenbogen received several injuries, including a stab wound, and was rushed to a nearby hospital by first responders. He later succumbed to his injuries. Police said the pair did not know each other before the incident.

The Brandon Police Service did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by press time.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

» X: @geena_mortfield