Alberta
Edmonton Police charge 19 year old with trafficking gun used to kill Constables Jordan and Ryan
From the Edmonton Police Service
Charges laid in line of duty deaths
The EPS Firearms Investigations Unit (FIU) has completed their investigation into the origins of the firearm used in the Mar. 16, 2023, officer deaths.
Following the shooting deaths of Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan, FIU launched an investigation into the origins of the gun used by the 16-year-old male shooter.
Early in the investigation, detectives determined a bullet cartridge casing recovered from the scene of a Mar. 12, 2023, shooting at a nearby restaurant (133 Street and 114 Avenue) was forensically matched to the firearm that was recovered at the 132 Street and 114 Avenue apartment where both officers were tragically murdered. Investigators have since confirmed that the suspect in both shootings was the same.
Following several months of extensive investigation, FIU determined that Dennis Okeymow, 19, trafficked the firearm used in both shootings directly to the 16-year-old male shooter prior to Mar. 12.
On. Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, police conducted search warrants on Okeymow’s residence, vehicles and cell phone. Okeymow was arrested without incident from the residence and police seized a stolen loaded handgun, ammunition, illegal drugs, $10,000 in cash and other items indicative of drug trafficking.
Okeymow is charged with:
- manslaughter (x3) and criminal negligence causing death (x3) in relation to the deaths of Const. Ryan, Const. Jordan and the 16-year-old male shooter
- criminal negligence causing bodily harm (x2) in relation to the man injured in the restaurant shooting on Mar. 12 and the youth’s mother, who was injured during the Mar. 16 shooting
- firearms trafficking
- unauthorized possession of a firearm
- possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition
- ·other drug trafficking related charges
“In my 20 years in this career, this is the most complex and tragic file I have worked on,” says Staff Sergeant Eric Stewart with the EPS Guns and Gangs Section. “It’s heartbreaking that the trafficking of a firearm has led to multiple deaths and life-altering injuries.”
“The trauma suffered by the impacted families as a result of this one simple transaction is unthinkable.”
FIU would like to thank the RCMP, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) and the many dedicated members of the EPS who assisted with this investigation.
Background information
On Sunday, Mar. 12, 2023, at approximately 12:25 a.m., a lone male suspect entered a pizza restaurant in the area of 133 Street and 114 Avenue carrying a firearm. The suspect shot a male employee and then fled the location. EMS attended and transported the injured 55-year-old male to hospital with serious life-threatening injuries.
At approximately 12:47 a.m. on Thursday, Mar. 16, 2023, Const. Travis Jordan and Const. Brett Ryan responded to a family dispute call in an apartment complex near 114 Avenue and 132 Street.
When the two officers arrived, they were met by a 55-year-old female complainant outside of the complex. The two officers then responded to the suite where she resided with her 73-year-old male partner and their 16-year-old son.
Immediately upon arriving at the suite, both constables were shot multiple times by the youth and were immediately incapacitated. The youth then reportedly shot his mother before turning the firearm on himself, taking his own life. The father was not physically injured during the shootings. Neither officer discharged their firearm.
Following 911 calls by multiple reporters, additional police and EMS arrived. One of the injured officers was transported in a police vehicle to hospital, while the other injured officer was taken by ambulance. The female complainant was taken by ambulance to hospital. Soon after arriving at the hospital, both officers were declared deceased.
On Saturday, Mar. 18, 2023, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Edmonton conducted autopsies on both officers. In both cases the cause of death was confirmed to be gunshot wounds with the manner of death being homicide.
On Mar. 22, 2023, the Edmonton Medical Examiner confirmed that the 16-year-old male shooter’s cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head consistent with being self-inflicted.
The 55-year-old man shot in the restaurant on Mar. 12 survived, but suffered life-altering injuries. The youth’s mother continues to recover from her injuries.
Agriculture
Lacombe meat processor scores $1.2 million dollar provincial tax credit to help expansion
Alberta’s government continues to attract investment and grow the provincial economy.
The province’s inviting and tax-friendly business environment, and abundant agricultural resources, make it one of North America’s best places to do business. In addition, the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit helps attract investment that will further diversify Alberta’s agriculture industry.
Beretta Farms is the most recent company to qualify for the tax credit by expanding its existing facility with the potential to significantly increase production capacity. It invested more than $10.9 million in the project that is expected to increase the plant’s processing capacity from 29,583 to 44,688 head of cattle per year. Eleven new employees were hired after the expansion and the company plans to hire ten more. Through the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit, Alberta’s government has issued Beretta Farms a tax credit of $1,228,735.
“The Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit is building on Alberta’s existing competitive advantages for agri-food companies and the primary producers that supply them. This facility expansion will allow Beretta Farms to increase production capacity, which means more Alberta beef across the country, and around the world.”
“This expansion by Beretta Farms is great news for Lacombe and central Alberta. It not only supports local job creation and economic growth but also strengthens Alberta’s global reputation for producing high-quality meat products. I’m proud to see our government supporting agricultural innovation and investment right here in our community.”
The tax credit provides a 12 per cent non-refundable, non-transferable tax credit when businesses invest $10 million or more in a project to build or expand a value-added agri-processing facility in Alberta. The program is open to any food manufacturers and bio processors that add value to commodities like grains or meat or turn agricultural byproducts into new consumer or industrial goods.
Beretta Farms’ facility in Lacombe is a federally registered, European Union-approved harvesting and meat processing facility specializing in the slaughter, processing, packaging and distribution of Canadian and United States cattle and bison meat products to 87 countries worldwide.
“Our recent plant expansion project at our facility in Lacombe has allowed us to increase our processing capacities and add more job opportunities in the central Alberta area. With the support and recognition from the Government of Alberta’s tax credit program, we feel we are in a better position to continue our success and have the confidence to grow our meat brands into the future.”
Alberta’s agri-processing sector is the second-largest manufacturing industry in the province and meat processing plays an important role in the sector, generating millions in annual economic impact and creating thousands of jobs. Alberta continues to be an attractive place for agricultural investment due to its agricultural resources, one of the lowest tax rates in North America, a business-friendly environment and a robust transportation network to connect with international markets.
Quick facts
- Since 2023, there are 16 applicants to the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit for projects worth about $1.6 billion total in new investment in Alberta’s agri-processing sector.
- To date, 13 projects have received conditional approval under the program.
- Each applicant must submit progress reports, then apply for a tax credit certificate when the project is complete.
- Beretta Farms has expanded the Lacombe facility by 10,000 square feet to include new warehousing, cooler space and an office building.
- This project has the potential to increase production capacity by 50 per cent, thereby facilitating entry into more European markets.
Related information
From Premier Danielle Smith and Alberta.ca/Next
Let’s talk about an Alberta Pension Plan for a minute.
With our young Alberta workforce paying billions more into the CPP each year than our seniors get back in benefits, it’s time to ask whether we stay with the status quo or create our own Alberta Pension Plan that would guarantee as good or better benefits for seniors and lower premiums for workers.
I want to hear your perspective on this idea and please check out the video. Get the facts. Join the conversation.
Visit Alberta.ca/next
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