Rodney Levi
Rodney Levi, a 48-year-old Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Sunny Corner, Canada.
On June 12, 2020, Levi was attending a BBQ at the home of his pastor. During the BBQ Levi became paranoid and had put a knife in his hoodie pocket for protection. Someone called the police.
According to police, Levi was armed with knives and charged at one of the two officers. A taser was deployed three times but failed to subdue him. One of the officers shot Levi twice in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. His family said the police spoke to him for 20 minutes before he was shot. His relatives are convinced Levi would still be alive if he were white.
In January 2021, the prosecutor’s office said that it saw no reason to press charges against the police, as they were protecting themselves and people around them. In October 2021, Levi’s death was ruled a homicide.
MASS MEDIA ABOUT THE CASE:
“At that point, there’s no time for anything else but a firearm to be used,” said Sgt. Kelly Keith, an expert in the use of force. “It’s too close, too fast and it’s just too risky to use anything else at that point.”
“It’s just all about Rodney, you know what I mean, it’s like painting him bad and that’s it, this is it you know, they just want to justify what they did,” Levi’s sister said.
CASE STATUS:
The initiative group has requested the clarification from Attorney General of Canada David T. Lametti and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau. The initiative group believes it is important to fight against police brutality and, if necessary, will provide legal and financial assistance to the family of the victim.
Letter to Lametti
Letter to Trudeau
