{"id":481420,"date":"2026-02-17T20:29:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T20:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/481420\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T20:29:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T20:29:15","slug":"inquest-continues-into-winnipeg-police-shooting-death-of-eishia-hudson-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/481420\/","title":{"rendered":"Inquest continues into Winnipeg police shooting death of Eishia Hudson, 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo courtesy of Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth Eishia Hudson, a 16-year-old member of Berens River First Nation in \u2018Manitoba,\u2019 was fatally shot by a Winnipeg police officer in 2020. <\/p>\n

Crystal Greene
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
IndigiNews<\/p>\n

Eishia Hudson, a 16-year-old member of Berens River First Nation in \u2018Manitoba,\u2019 was fatally shot by a Winnipeg police officer in 2020.<\/p>\n

Holding up an eagle feather, the father of Eishia Hudson \u2014 a teenage girl killed by Winnipeg police officers six years ago \u2014 remembered his daughter as \u201cloved beyond words, missed beyond measure.\u201d<\/p>\n

William Hudson, the late teen\u2019s father, gave an emotional opening statement earlier this month at the start of an inquest into the circumstances of her 2020 shooting.<\/p>\n

The inquest launched with ceremonial protocols and drumming.<\/p>\n

Hudson spoke of his daughter\u2019s impact, pausing at times to compose himself from emotionally breaking down during his appearance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dreams she would\u2019ve chased in her life, she deserved to live,\u201d he said, describing his daughter as kind, athletic, full of energy, and someone who made others laugh.<\/p>\n

He said losing her \u201cchanged us forever,\u201d leaving \u201can empty space that cannot be filled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur children deserve safety, love and a future,\u201d he said. \u201cAlthough her time was far too short, her impact was not.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week, nearly six years after 16-year-old Hudson was shot and killed by a Winnipeg Police Service officer, her shooter publicly testified about the incident for the first time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An inquest is underway into the death of the teenage girl, an Ojibwe member of Berens River First Nation.<\/p>\n

An earlier police watchdog report had declined to recommend criminal charges against the officer, Const. Kyle Pradinuk, setting off community protests and demands for an inquest.<\/p>\n

Pradinuk shot the teen on April 8, 2020 after a liquor store robbery and high-speed chase in a stolen Jeep, which Hudson drove with four other passengers, all of them youth.<\/p>\n

The inquest heard how Pradinuk refused requests to be interviewed by Manitoba\u2019s Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) \u2014 an agency that probes serious incidents involving police officers \u2014 eventually providing the unit with only notes four days after the shooting.<\/p>\n

The province\u2019s Police Service Act does not force any officer to participate in investigations by the IIU, which eventually cleared Pradinuk of any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

Pradinuk told the inquest that the stolen Jeep was still moving slowly after it crashed into a Ford F-150 truck and veered onto a median near the intersection of Winnipeg\u2019s Lagimodiere Boulevard and Fermor Avenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the Jeep\u2019s passengers told the inquest the vehicle made a \u201cgrinding\u201d sound when it landed on the boulevard and stopped.<\/p>\n

Pradinuk fired his gun twice as he approached the Jeep driver\u2019s window, with his second bullet hitting Hudson\u2019s left shoulder and travelling downwards into her spine.<\/p>\n

Pradinuk testified his actions were justified to protect the \u201csafety of the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was willing to potentially risk safety of the police and people within the Jeep,\u201d he testified.<\/p>\n

An ambulance took Hudson to the Health Sciences Centre emergency department, where she died that day.<\/p>\n

Dad hopes youth seen as \u2018precious and protected\u2019<\/p>\n

The inquest, which launched on Feb. 2, is examining what happened that day, but cannot assign blame. Instead, it\u2019s looking at any systemic issues or circumstances at play in Hudson\u2019s death and can make recommendations.<\/p>\n

Hudson was not the only First Nations person killed by Winnipeg police that month in 2020.<\/p>\n

Within a ten-day span that April, the Winnipeg Police Service killed three First Nations people, including Hudson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eleven hours after her death, a WPS officer fatally shot Jason Collins, a father of three. Then on April 18, officers shot Stewart Andrews, a 22-year-old father.<\/p>\n

Because there are no publicly available government data tracking fatalities by police, several attempts have been made to collect such data \u2014 including CBC News\u2019 Deadly Force database and Tracking In(Justice), launched by academics two years ago.<\/p>\n

As his family grieves their loss of their youngest of five children, her father believes her death \u201ccreated and will continue to create change for other Indigenous youth.\u201d<\/p>\n

His daughter\u2019s story and spirit \u201cstand as a reminder for our young people,\u201d Hudson told the inquest, that young people \u201cmatter, that their lives be precious and protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

The teenage victim\u2019s sister Mary-Ann read a statement on behalf of their mother, Christie Zebrasky, who described her late daughter as \u201ca tomboy from an early age\u201d who was \u201calways beautiful, always smiling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been six years since my baby brushed her teeth,\u201d Zebrasky\u2019s statement read. \u201cShe told me she\u2019d be back right away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEishia wasn\u2019t violent or aggressive or misbehaved \u2014 she was a teenager. Eishia never had a criminal record, she wasn\u2019t involved in the justice system either.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a press release, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said Hudson\u2019s family \u201casked for privacy\u201d during the inquiry into her death.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to ensure her life is remembered with dignity,\u201d the organization stated, \u201cand that this process is carried out with the care and respect she deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police contact \u2018unnecessary and punitive\u2019<\/p>\n

A 2023 report by the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth (MACY) said Hudson had previously been in the foster system, and that both she and her father were impacted by his mother\u2019s traumatic experiences in day school.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The MACY report concluded that Hudson was easily influenced by others, but thrived when she had consistent and specialized help at school and from government agencies; however, it found those supports had tapered off during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

One of the advocate\u2019s findings was \u201cthe potential negative consequences of police contact indicate that unnecessary and punitive contact must be mitigated when in the best interests of children and youth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since 2020, her family has rallied and pushed for a public inquest to scrutinize her death, which caused widespread public outcry from the Indigenous community \u2014 demanding systemic changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The grassroots organization Winnipeg Police Cause Harm said they saw \u201ca lot more allies\u201d starting to \u201cwalk the talk\u201d and Indigenous folks \u201cproviding kinship support\u201d to the Hudson family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a real change in perspective that happened,\u201d said Chantale Garand, a member of the group in a phone call with IndigiNews.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can notice it in the feeling at these events as well the amount of people that attended these events \u2014 because that was also the same time period that the Winnipeg Police killed three people.\u201d<\/p>\n

They added that the community\u2019s support for Hudson\u2019s family \u201cwas unwavering.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strength of these vigils and round dances that were held was quite strong and consistent,\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Kyra Wilson, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, it\u2019s essential that the inquest be \u201cgrounded in respect, care, and truth\u201d \u2014 and that most importantly it should \u201ccenter\u201d the victim, Hudson, \u201cas a young person whose life mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is essential that this process be conducted with dignity, cultural awareness,\u201d she said, \u201cand a clear focus on the systemic conditions that continue to place Indigenous lives at risk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teen victim\u2019s last words: \u2018We\u2019re done\u2019<\/p>\n

Wiebe issued a publication ban giving anonymity to the three witnesses who were with Hudson at the time of her shooting, because they were all minors at the time.<\/p>\n

When WPS counsel Kimberly Carswell addressed Hudson\u2019s peers during the inquest, her questions focused on pushing the witnesses to agree with allegations they had been drinking alcohol and using cannabis and cocaine that day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first witness, a young Indigenous man who appeared in ankle shackles, remembered waking up at the police station, and discovering Hudson had died from his lawyer.<\/p>\n

A second witness, Hudson\u2019s female friend for three or four years, recounted sitting in Jeep\u2019s middle backseat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She noticed police were following them when they got to Lagimodiere Boulevard, after leaving Sage Creek liquor store.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all saying that we\u2019re going to get caught,\u201d said the young woman who added she was \u201cscared.\u201d<\/p>\n

The female witness said Hudson lost control of the Jeep, which then got stuck on the median curb facing back in the direction they had just driven from.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She recalled Hudson\u2019s words: \u201cWe\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The female witness described a police cruiser approaching nose-to-nose with the Jeep on the median, followed by officers \u201ccoming out of cars with batons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen literally right after that, that\u2019s when the shots were fired,\u201d said the witness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard two shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

She agreed to a statement of facts that police were on both sides of the Jeep and hit its windows with batons on the driver and passenger side.<\/p>\n

She said police yelled for them to \u201cget on the ground,\u201d before pulling her from the vehicle. She said officers shouted at her \u201cto stop resisting\u201d \u2014 but she asserted she wasn\u2019t resisting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She testified that police then piled onto her, partially blocking her from seeing the surroundings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew something was wrong because they took everyone out and they left her in the vehicle,\u201d said the witness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I saw them drag her out of the vehicle and put her in the middle of the road, and they started giving her CPR.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The young woman cried.<\/p>\n

WPS counsel Carswell questioned her claim about being punched when she was in handcuffs and standing against a cruiser.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou also indicated that you were \u2026 punched and hit during this arrest, is that correct?\u201d Carswell asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d the witness replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I were to say to you that there was video showing that there was no punching or police brutality, what do you have to say about that?\u201d Carswell asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The witness disputed the lawyer\u2019s statement, replying \u201cthere was\u201d brutality.<\/p>\n

\u2018She was a good friend\u2019<\/p>\n

A male witness who was also in the Jeep said he befriended Hudson ten years ago, at General Wolfe junior high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a good friend, she\u2019d be there for me if I needed her,\u201d the witness testified, wearing a black t-shirt that emblazoned with \u201cJustice for Eishia Hudson.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I called her, she\u2019d answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also recounted his memories of the car chase.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody just kind of started panicking,\u201d he testified. \u201cNobody wanted to get locked up, nobody wanted to get in trouble. We\u2019re all kind of scared at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Hudson drove into a cul-de-sac, turned around, and swerved around a police cruiser to flee.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until closer to Lagimodiere that the police cruiser started ramming us a bit,\u201d said the male witness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point, there wasn\u2019t really much we could do,\u201d he recalled. \u201cWe were already in the chase.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the Jeep hit a Ford F-150 truck, she lost control and their vehicle turned to face south, coming to a halt on the median.<\/p>\n

He recalled an officer smashing the front passenger window using a baton, and seeing the other male witness being pulled out in front of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThen they grabbed me, threw me out,\u201d the male witness told the inquest.<\/p>\n

He then remembered police officers were pulling Hudson out of the vehicle and throwing her onto the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember them all jumping on top of her,\u201d he testified. \u201cShe was bleeding quite a lot from her upper chest, and she was bleeding out of her mouth, and they were still using force on her, even though she was clearly not OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

He became emotional on the stand, and a young woman came from the public gallery to sit with him, to comfort him as he spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A support dog named Glossy \u2014 a black labrador with provincial victim services \u2014 also came to his aid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The witness was also asked about his perception of the police.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I can say is that there are some good ones, and that there are some bad ones who can get away with what they want,\u201d he responded.<\/p>\n

\u2018They shouldn\u2019t have shot her\u2019<\/p>\n

At the inquest, IndigiNews viewed two videos used as evidence in the IIU investigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Missing from the initial IIU investigation was footage from a traffic camera located at Fermor and Lagimodiere, in which the IIU report stated, (pg 2, para 4) \u201cit was not functioning at the time of the shooting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One video shown in court was from the Royal Canadian Mint\u2019s security camera.<\/p>\n

The inquest cross-examined police asking if Hudson had actually \u201crammed\u201d the police cruiser.<\/p>\n

Sgt. Dustin Dreger admitted that the \u201ccontact wasn\u2019t significant,\u201d but that his partner Vincent had radio\u2019d that their cruiser was \u201crammed,\u201d which he referred to as \u201cpolice lingo\u201d used when there\u2019s any sort of contact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another video played in court came from Paul Dhillon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dhillon, who was on this daily commute from work to home, recorded the video while idling and facing southbound at the intersection of Lagimodiere and Fermor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His vertical video showed a police car stopping traffic from moving through the intersection and the Jeep on the median.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe girl was trying to get away from the police and she backed up to get away,\u201d Dhillon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While he couldn\u2019t see the shooting as it happened across the intersection, he said, \u201cI knew something bad happened right there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never seen so many police vehicles,\u201d he added. \u201cBeen living 35 years there \u2026 \u00a0never seen anything like it before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiebe asked him for his opinion on how \u201cto prevent such tragedies\u201d in the future.<\/p>\n

Dhillon replied, \u201cTragedy? Definitely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like she\u2019s holding a gun [that] she\u2019s trying to shoot you or something. She\u2019s panicked, she\u2019s trying to get away from the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

He acknowledged a liquor store robbery did occur, but questioned the extent and scale of the police response.<\/p>\n

\u201dWhy all those police for one person?\u201d he asked. \u201cIn my opinion they shouldn\u2019t have shot her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tears flowed from members of Hudson\u2019s family, as well as the teen\u2019s friends and supporters.<\/p>\n

Dhillon hugged Hudson\u2019s father. They quietly shared words, and Dhillon sat with Hudson\u2019s family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Public outcry \u2018for police to do something\u2019<\/p>\n

For the last six years, Pradinuk was granted anonymity by the IIU, which determined the incident as \u201ccase closed\u201d after the Manitoba Prosecution Service advised it to not pursue charges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The officer\u2019s name was eventually revealed to the public at the inquiry when he took the stand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The IIU is \u201cindependent\u201d and arms-length of the police officially. But critics have questioned its independence because it includes current and former members of the RCMP or other police forces under the command of a civilian director.<\/p>\n

The first six days of the inquest saw several police witnesses take the stand including Pradinuk, whose voice sounded faint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lawyer Dayna Steinfeld, who is counsel for the inquest itself, asked another officer who testified why police deemed it necessary \u201cto initiate the pursuit\u201d of the teen suspects.<\/p>\n

That witness, Det. Sgt. Jeff Vincent, replied that around the time of the incident there had been \u201ca lot of liquor store thefts\u201d taking place, and the public \u201cwas getting fed up\u201d and \u201ctaking matters into their own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was an outcry from the public for police to do something about these thefts that were happening,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Judge Margaret Wiebe asked all witnesses what they would recommend to prevent similar incidents in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At least two of the police witnesses called for a new helicopter to be dedicated to supporting police chases of suspects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Multiple officers agreed they would like to see WPS members wear body cameras.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watchdog \u2018should never be buddy-buddy with police\u2019<\/p>\n

The case has also shone a light of scrutiny on how closely police officers relate to their accountability watchdog, the IIU.<\/p>\n

Zane Tessler, the IIU\u2019s civilian director at the time it rejected pressing any charges over Hudson\u2019s death, was quoted in the Jewish Post and News that initially investigators with the agency \u201cwere viewed as outsiders, an irritant\u201d by police.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a while for police officers to buy in,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cTo realize that the work we are doing benefits them. Now, we have a good relationship with law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

University of Winnipeg criminal justice professor Kevin Walby told IndigiNews such statements raise troubling questions about the agency\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the IIU should ever seek to have a \u2018good relationship\u2019 with law enforcement,\u201d Welby said. \u201cThey should seek the status of \u2018irritant.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA review body should never be buddy-buddy with police.\u201d<\/p>\n

He alleged it could be a conflict of interest for police officers, either current and former, to be investigating other police.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt should be a completely investigative mindset at the IIU,\u201d he argued. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be seeking to have warm relations with the WPS.\u201d<\/p>\n

Too often after WPS shootings, officers will say, \u201cThe officer was afraid, they can shoot whoever they want,\u201d Walby said.<\/p>\n

He said that justification often cites part of the Criminal Code which effectively provides immunity from charges if officers say they thought they were in danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo live in a society like that, and call it a democracy,\u201d Walby said, \u201cwhen we have absolutely no say over what\u2019s happening with these kinds of shootings \u2014 we have no say over the powers of these oversight bodies to investigate police.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, a provincial bill was introduced to give IIU more powers to penalize officers who don\u2019t comply with its investigators. For instance, if passed it would have required officers to hand over police notes or evidence, and participate in IIU interviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the legislation was never implemented, according to CBC.<\/p>\n

Inez Hillel, a member of Winnipeg Police Cause Harm, said changing such laws \u201chas been a central demand\u201d of many community and First Nations organizations at the inquest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the groups also recognize the inquest\u2019s powers are very \u201climited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe value that we see in it is bringing the story from multiple perspectives, and bringing the inconsistency of the cop stories to light \u2026 and being able to get the names of the police officers involved,\u201d Hillel said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe inquest is a very limited avenue for transformation, because it doesn\u2019t assign blame,\u201d said Hillel.<\/p>\n

The inquest is planned to continue until Feb. 27, with further hearing dates scheduled in April. It will also hear from MACY and a police use-of-force expert.<\/p>\n

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