'I could not believe what happened,' cop who shot fellow officer tells court
A Niagara police officer who shot a fellow cop during an altercation nearly three years ago told his colleague's assault trial that he found their interaction so implausible he feared nobody would believe what happened.
Det.-Sgt. Shane Donovan testified Wednesday at the trial of Const. Nathan Parker, who has pleaded not guilty to assault with intent to resist arrest, assaulting a police officer and assault with a weapon.
Donovan told the court that Parker assaulted him during a collision investigation in November 2018, pushing him hard enough to cause bruising and pulling out his baton and firearm. Donovan said he then shot Parker several times, including once in the torso.
"I could not believe what had happened and I expected no one else would believe it," Donovan told the court.
Donovan said he asked a bystander if he had video, hoping there was evidence of what transpired.
Court heard that the bystander didn't have video, so Donovan asked him to stay and watch so he could be a witness.
"I wanted witnesses to what was happening ... because I had just shot a person, another police officer, so I want everyone to see what happened so if anything else went wrong, I've got evidence," he said.
Donovan said he asked the bystander -- a man who lived near the Pelham, Ont., site where the altercation and shooting occurred -- to take note of the position of Parker's baton and Donovan's lanyard.
"It shows the movement of what happened," he explained. "If an officer comes and picks it up, it changes the scene. If someone kicks it, it changes the evidence of what happened."
Donovan told the court he was concerned about the integrity of the scene, and didn't leave until more officers arrived for fear evidence might be moved, despite the other officer's protests.
"I think just being there was enough to provoke him," Donovan said. "...He was constantly yelling."
The Special Investigations Unit initially charged Donovan as well, but those charges were dropped when, his lawyer said, prosecutors found there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.
In cross-examination on Wednesday, Parker's lawyer suggested Donovan was biased against his colleague.
"The reason you did not give police Const. Parker your cell number personally is because you had formed the opinion ... the less you talked to him the better," Joseph Markson posited.
Donovan denied that, saying he thought Parker already had his number and that he would have spoken to his colleague if necessary, but that he had tried to avoid it.
"He was not approachable, and I didn't want to have any issues," Donovan said. "I left it at that."
The trial continues Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.