CPS Apologizes to Teen Brothers Who Were Charged in Calgary Shooting

Calgary’s Police Chief, Const. Mark Neufeld, has apologized to two teen brothers who were in charged in relation to Calgary’s gang-related shooting that left one person dead and two others injured last week.

The brothers were charged in connection to a fatal shooting in the community of Marlborough Park on Nov. 13. According to the police, a man was shot to death in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Trans Canada Centre, in the 1400 block of 52 Street N.E., just before 2 p.m.

A 14-year-old boy had been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two-counts of attempted murder, while his brother, 18, was charged with accessory after the fact to murder. The deceased man was identified by police as 23-year-old Rami Hajj Ali.

The charges were stayed by prosecutors on Tuesday after “new evidence came to light.”

In a press conference on Tuesday, Chief Const. Neufeld offered an apology to the brothers and their family. He said “these charges will have impacted these two young men and their family in very significant ways, and for that, I apologize, unreservedly.”

The police said the shooting that occurred last week, led the police to respond to the area where they received valuable information from witnesses to the incident, which turned their attention upon a particular vehicle that was leaving the area of the shooting.

“This was the beginning of a complex chain of events that led to the arrest of numerous individuals, the execution of warrants on two homes and two vehicles, and ultimately a case was made that supported the charges”, said a statement by the CPS on X.

“In coming to a decision to lay those charges, homicide investigators were acting upon the information and evidence that was available to them up to that point.”

However, the police said new evidences came to light, that led investigators to believe the brothers were not responsible for the shooting. The police said they notified the Alberta Crown Prosecution as soon the “contradictory evidence” was received and it was confirmed reliable.

These led to the “charges being stayed in court”, said the police. The CPS says it has reached out to the community and family of these brothers to offer supports and provide additional answers. “Our services will arrange for an independent review, which will examine the circumstances that led to the arrest and charges.”

The police added that the investigation is still ongoing and they committed to bring justice to all involved.

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