Evidence commenced Monday to determine if Calgary police Const. Craig Stothard will stand trial for murder in the fatal shooting of two suspects more than three years ago.
Justice Mark Mastel ordered a publication ban on the evidence being presented by Crown prosecutor Jeff Rudiak, at the request of defence counsel Don MacLeod.
“The first order of business, as I often forget, is simply to seek a ban on publication,” MacLeod told Mastel.
“I think it’s appropriate,” Rudiak added.
Mastel noted that when such an application is made by the defence the court is required to grant it, so he issued the ban.
Rudiak indicated he’d be calling 23 witnesses over the course of the hearing, which is scheduled for two weeks.
But the prosecutor indicated to Mastel his witnesses are currently scheduled to conclude next Tuesday.
Rudiak also made the standard request for an order excluding witnesses until they are called to testify.
“That would be prudent, in my submission,” MacLeod added.
Stothard faces two charges of second-degree murder in connection with the May 29, 2023, fatal shootings of Levon Fox, 39, and Wesley Davidson, 46.
The Alberta Serious Response Team (ASIRT) announced the charges on July 15, 2025, more than two years after the deadly incident.
Stothard appeared in Calgary Court of King’s Bench prior to the ASIRT announcement and was granted his release on conditions before the allegations were made public.
In a statement, the Calgary Police Service acknowledged the charges and said Stothard was on leave but did not indicate if that was paid, or unpaid.
He has remained at liberty since his brief detention the day charges were laid.
Following the shooting, Calgary police indicated officers has opened fire on a stolen cube van the two deceased had occupied, following a slow-speed chase on Memorial Drive.
At the time, police said a security guard at a private property in Mayland Heights reported three suspicious men who’d fled in a stolen cube van. Police said it was driving erratically as it left the neighbourhood, kitting a barricade and a building and multiple officers began tailing the vehicle as it travelled down Memorial Drive.
Following ASIRT’s investigation the case was forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, which agreed the evidence met prosecutorial standards.
MacLeod did not indicate on the record whether he would be opposing his client being committed to stand trial, but the standard for committal is a low bar and rarely not met.
If convicted of second-degree murder, Stothard would face an automatic life sentence with parole ineligibility set between 10 and 25 years.
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