Manitoba

A policing expert has told an inquest that a Winnipeg officer took appropriate action when he fired two shots at a stolen vehicle and killed a 16-year-old First Nations girl.

Officers didn’t have much time to respond as Eishia Hudson crashed Jeep: Chris ButlerBrittany Hobson · CBC News · Posted: Mar 12, 2026 3:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoText to Speech Icon

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Eishia Hudson smiles at the camera Eishia Hudson was 16 years old when she was shot and killed by Winnipeg police in April 2020. (Eishia Hudson/Facebook)

A policing expert has told an inquest that a Winnipeg officer took appropriate action when he fired two shots at a stolen vehicle and killed a 16-year-old First Nations girl.

Use-of-force expert Chris Butler testified officers didn’t have a lot of time to respond when the Jeep smashed into a truck at a busy intersection in 2020.

Police had responded to a liquor store robbery and were chasing the Jeep driven by Eishia Hudson.

The officer who shot the girl has said he believed the Jeep, after it crashed into the truck, was moving toward other officers.

Butler says police would have wanted to stop the Jeep from moving and, if they had waited any longer, other lives could have been in danger.

The inquest is being held to look at whether systemic racism played a role in the girl’s death and whether the use of force was appropriate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brittany Hobson is a reporter with The Canadian Press.

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