Mountie accused in manslaughter case says she feared for her life when she shot driver

An RCMP constable accused of manslaughter in the shooting death of an Alberta man told a jury Wednesday that she believed he was trying to kill her and her colleagues when she opened fire.

Const. Jessica Brown and Cpl. Randy Stenger shot and killed Clayton Crawford at a rest stop outside Whitecourt, Alta. in July 2018.

Both were charged with manslaughter following an investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.

Crawford told the jury Wednesday that when she opened fire on Crawford, it was because she believed she and her colleagues were in danger.

She said at the time Crawford was driving his truck in reverse, toward them.

"There's no need to go backwards except to kill us," Brown said, testifying in her own defence. "I don't want to die, I don't want to get hit by this car."

Differing accounts of information shared

Earlier in the trial which began Nov. 21, the jury heard that RCMP had been on the lookout for a distinctive purple Dodge truck after a shooting the day before in the hamlet of Valhalla Centre.

On July 2, 2018, Crawford's girlfriend was shot in the leg when a bullet came through the door of a house.

Prosecutors told the jury that RCMP believed Crawford was the intended victim of the shooting, and that he'd fled the scene in his purple truck.

The truck was spotted near Westlock by an off-duty officer on July 3, 2018. As Westlock officers including Brown and Stenger drove out to the rest stop, Grande Prairie RCMP Cpl. Eldon Chillog spoke to Brown on the phone.

Chillog, called to testify as a witness for the prosecution earlier in the trial, told the jury he is positive he told Brown that Crawford was not a suspect in the shooting.

Brown's account of what was said in that call is different.

She told the jury she considered the situation "high risk", in part because Chillog told her either the shooter or intended victim could be in the truck.

She said the senior officer also told her the incident could be related to the drug trade.

"He confirmed three to four times that it could be the shooting suspect or the intended target," she said.

She added that Chillog warned her that in either case she should "be careful."

Approaching the truck

Brown told the jury that as she and her fellow officers approached Crawford's truck, she had her rifle raised.

She said initially after they woke Crawford by banging on his window, he was co-operative and raised his arms, but that something changed when he recognized they were police.

She told the jury at that point, Crawford began trying to grab something from under the seat. A scuffle ensued as police smashed his window and tried to grab him and pull him out, all while yelling commands at him.

Brown said Crawford was able to get the vehicle started and that he had a clear path forward but instead put the truck in reverse. She said she heard Stenger fire first, and she joined in.

"I raised my carbine and I started to shoot," she said.

Between them, the officers fired 11 times and hit Crawford 10 times.

Brown said she was interviewed by ASIRT the next day, and she was off work for over a month before returning to duty.

Two years later, after being criminally charged, she was suspended from the RCMP.

Prosecutor Linda Shin began cross examining Brown, suggesting the officer was jumping to conclusions and making assumptions despite having limited information about how the truck RCMP were looking for was involved in the shooting.

The cross examination will continue Thursday.