One person has now been charged after nine-year-old girl was killed in a Boxing Day crash in southwest Calgary involving the driver fleeing an alleged robbery scene.
Police had responded to a call around 9:30 a.m. Thursday for reports of a pharmacy robbery at the Pharmasave Millrise, located at 15 Millrise Blvd SW. According to police, it’s believed the suspect assaulted a pharmacist and fled the scene in a stolen vehicle.
Calgary police officers located the vehicle, a 2015 Dodge Caravan, and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver continued to drive unsafely and at high rates of speed, they said.
Police ended their ground pursuit due to the high speed and instead called in HAWCS to follow the vehicle from the air. Roughly 18 minutes later, Calgary police said the suspect was continuing to drive dangerously and ran a red light at Macleod Trail and Southland Drive SE, hitting multiple vehicles.
It struck a 2014 Toyota 4Runner, driven by a woman in her 40s, and a 2009 Pontiac Vibe, driven by a woman in her 40s with two child passengers.
Four people were taken to hospital at that time in critical, life-threatening condition, police said. Four other people suffered minor injuries as the Vibe hit a vehicle in the left turning lane of southbound Macleod Trail, which hit another vehicle in the turning lane.
Police later said that a nine-year-old girl in the Pontiac Vibe later died of her injuries. The other child remains in critical condition at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, police said.
As a result, Duane Arlen John Nepoose, 30, is charged with three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, one count of robbery, one count of theft of a motor vehicle, one count of flight from a police officer, one count of dangerous driving, one count of dangerous driving causing death, one count of operating a vehicle without a licence, one count of operating a vehicle without registration, and one count of operating a vehicle without insurance.
Speed and drug impairment are being investigated as potential factors in the crash, police said.
“We share the deep sadness felt by the family and loved ones who have had their lives forever changed by someone’s disregard for public safety,” said Acting Insp. Andy Woodward of the Calgary Police Service Traffic Section, in a prepared media release.
“We continue to work with numerous areas and resources across the Service to fully investigate the circumstances of this collision. The Victim Assistance Support Team and other resources have been made available to those impacted by this incident.”
Calgary police said that the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team was called to review the officers’ response to stop the vehicle.
Anyone with further information about this incident or dashcam footage from the area at the time of the crash is asked to contact the Calgary police at 403-266-1234.
