Man charged in May death of cyclist on Laurier

Mukwoh Jordan Land said little in court Friday afternoon as he appeared before a judge to face new charges of dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing death.

The 33-year-old Ottawa man is facing charges in the hit-and-run death of a 60-year-old man who was killed when he was struck by a van while riding his bike on Laurier Avenue West, directly outside city hall, nearly three months ago. The cyclist, whose identity was not released, died after he was struck near the Elgin Street intersection at about 7:20 a.m. on May 16.

The driver reportedly stopped near the scene, but then fled on foot, abandoning a black minivan with a smashed windshield and damaged front bumper on the Mackenzie King Bridge.

The victim was thrown in the air and landed on the roadway. Paramedics used “aggressive” advanced life support techniques to try to stabilize him, but he succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

Appearing on video link and wearing a hooded sweatshirt Friday, Land identified himself to Ontario Court Justice Peter Doody by both names, first as Mukwoh Land, then as Jordan Land.

Land had been placed under surveillance as part of the ongoing investigation into the collision and was arrested the day after the crash.

Allegedly carrying a loaded .38 calibre revolver and fentanyl while on probation at the time of his arrest, Land appeared in court in May on drug and weapons charges and an additional charge of obstructing a peace officer.

Prosecutors told court that Land was the subject of an executed warrant, but the reason wasn’t disclosed.

Land’s criminal record includes a 2014 conviction for possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, mischief and causing a riot. He was sentenced to two years for those crimes.

He was wanted by the Ontario Provincial Police’s repeat offender parole enforcement squad in October 2016, when he went missing from an Ottawa halfway house. He was arrested two days later on a Canada-wide warrant.

He is due back in court next week.