Families blame police in shooting death of woman

The families of a Calgary woman fatally shot by police, and her husband, who died three weeks later of a drug overdose, have filed a $1.5-million lawsuit.

Trena Patterson, on behalf of herself and her daughter’s beneficiaries, and Terrell Larson, for himself and his son’s beneficiaries, filed the claim in Calgary Court of Queen’s Bench.

In it, they blame the Calgary Police Service for the fatal shooting of Jessica Patterson on Nov. 29, 2016, and the subsequent drug overdose of her husband, Joseph Larson.

Patterson, 27, was shot dead outside an apartment building near 11th Avenue and 16th Street S.W. after officers responded to a report of a woman screaming.

On Dec. 20, Joseph Larson was found dead in the apartment he once shared with Patterson, just days after her funeral.

According to the statement of claim, he died of a drug overdose three days earlier, either by suicide or by accident.

Patterson was holding two knives and acting erratically when she was shot by police.

An investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team later determined criminal charges in her shooting were not warranted.

ASIRT executive director Susan Hughson said in August that the female officer who shot Patterson was dealing with someone in a “dangerous and unpredictable” state.

Hughson said Patterson, whom ASIRT did not mention by name, was seen brandishing two knives before rushing toward a police cruiser.

“Given her state, the speed with which the situation deteriorated, her apparent irrationality, her close proximity and her failure to respond to clear simple commands while armed with weapons capable of lethal injury, the officer had no other reasonable options to address the immediate threat,” Hughson said.

ASIRT said an autopsy confirmed she died as a result of two gunshot wounds. Toxicology results showed “significant concentrations” of methadone and cocaine.

But in the lawsuit, relatives claim police failed to take reasonable steps before resorting to lethal force.

They failed “to properly respond adequately or at all to the disturbed mental health condition and/or intoxicated condition of Jessica,” states the claim, which has not been proven in court.

The Calgary Police Service is also to blame for Larson’s death because of their conduct, the claim argues.

“The deaths of Jessica and Joseph arose as a direct result of the negligence of the defendants ... in breaching their duties of care,” the lawsuit says.

Statements of defence have not been filed.

The deaths of Jessica and Joseph arose as a direct result of the negligence of the defendants.