Five years after his killing officer remembered for commitment to community
Five years after an on-duty Edmonton police officer was fatally shot, officers are quietly remembering his death.
Const. Daniel Woodall, a 35-year-old hate crimes investigator, was shot and killed outside a home while executing a criminal harassment warrant on June 8, 2015. Edmonton police officers will mark the sombre occasion at a private location on Monday. Chief Dale Mcfee, Woodall’s former partner acting Sgt. Ray Wilson and chaplain Lawrence Peck will lay wreaths on behalf of the department, Edmonton Police Association and the family, said Sgt. Michael Elliott, the association’s president.
“I can’t believe five years have passed already,” Elliott said Friday. “The irony of what’s occurring today, versus what he was working on five years ago, is that we’re talking about racism and ... biases, and that’s what he was a part of, the hate, bias unit.
“I want our citizens to know that he will not be forgotten for his work and for his commitment to his community and to the province.”
At the time of his death, Woodall, who had been on the force for eight years, was investigating a case of online hatred and bullying of a Jewish family in Edmonton.
Police arrived at Norman Raddatz’s home and spoke to him through the door saying he would be arrested but released on a promise to appear in court. Raddatz told them to come back with a warrant. They returned and showed it to him through the window.
When he again refused to let them inside, officers hit the front door with a battering ram. Raddatz fired more than 50 shots at police through the door, killing Woodall and seriously injuring another officer. Police didn’t fire a single shot.
Raddatz shot himself in the basement. His home caught fire and burned down. An independent investigation cleared Edmonton police of any wrongdoing in 2018.
Woodall’s widow. Claire Woodall, who now lives in the United Kingdom, said she is thankful officers are continuing to honour her late husband.
“We are forever grateful for Edmontonians for keeping Dan’s memory alive,” she wrote in a message on Facebook Friday.
Because schools are closed, officers won’t be making visits to students at Constable Daniel Woodall School to mark the date.
Megan Normandeau, spokeswoman for Edmonton Public Schools, said students at Constable
Daniel Woodall School, which opened in 2017 in his memory, will take part in learning and writing exercises to reflect on his legacy.
“We are proud to honour Const. Daniel Woodall and his many contributions to our city. Const. Woodall believed in the power of hard work, reaching for one’s dreams and being an active citizen within his community. Constable Daniel Woodall School is a testament to that continued legacy,” she wrote.
The fifth annual Woodall Cup, featuring the Edmonton Police Service and the Calgary Police Service, was postponed in March due to COVID-19.