Rally held in Edmonton to mourn Mathios Arkangelo

People chanted “no justice, no peace” during a rally in downtown Edmonton on Saturday to remember a man shot and killed by Edmonton police.

Crowds gathered outside the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) headquarters to demand the suspension of the officer who shot and killed 28-year-old father Mathios Arkangelo on a residential street in Fraser on the evening of June 29.

At the time, police said his physical description matched that of the driver who fled after a single-vehicle rollover crash on Anthony Henday Drive.

Matios’ mother, Ana Odo, said if her son had done anything wrong, he should have been arrested, not shot.

“I need justice for my son,” Oddo said. “When the police stop you, you should put your hands up, but he did that. The police shot him.”

“What happened to Mathios is heartbreaking and such a tragedy,” said community organizer Harun Ali. “That officer was sent back less than two months after doing that — I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m not shocked, but I’m disgusted.”

In a statement on Friday, EPS said it could not comment on the shooting but confirmed the officer involved had returned to duty.

“We are confident that ASIRT will conduct a thorough and independent investigation and that EPS will fully cooperate. We are confident that those who advocate for effective oversight of policing will also respect the systems and processes established to do so,” the statement read.

Surveillance Video

A compilation of security footage collected by the family is below Post to YouTubeIn it, multiple angles of the interaction between Matios and the officers leading up to the shooting can be seen.

At 9:08 of the YouTube video, Matios can be seen walking down the street as a police car approaches from the opposite direction.

He can be seen stopping more than a car length away from the patrol car, pulling something out of his pocket and holding his arms out to the side as officers step out with guns drawn. The camera recorded the scene at 9:22 p.m.

A different angle of the video at 10:50 in the YouTube video shows Matios taking a step forward with his arms out to the side. It is at this point that he appears to have been shot. The camera recorded the time at 9:23 p.m.

In an email, Tom Engel, an attorney representing Matios’ family, said the time stamp on the video showed 28 minutes passed from the time Matios was shot to the time the ambulance left.

CTV News has not viewed all of the videos in the collection and therefore cannot independently verify whether any content was edited or removed.

Ana Odo (front row, left) holds a sign during a rally in downtown Edmonton on Aug. 17, 2024, in memory of her son, Mathios Arkangelo, who was killed by an Edmonton police officer in June. (Sean McLuhan/CTV News Edmonton)

‘A confrontation’

On the day of the shooting, Police said They were investigating a single-vehicle rollover accident on Anthony Hendy Boulevard. When the officer spotted Matios nearby, police said “a confrontation ensued” and the officer shot and killed him.

ASIRT says At about 9:22 p.m., police pulled up to where Matios was walking. Matios stopped, raised his hands to his sides and faced the officers, who had stepped out of their patrol car with their guns drawn.

After the two sides spoke, ASIRT said the officer shot Matios and killed him. Neither ASIRT nor EPS disclosed the number of shots fired or how many times Matios was hit.

Neither agency reported finding any weapons at the scene.

ASIRT investigators are looking for additional witnesses and anyone who witnessed the shooting is asked to call 780-644-1483.

‘Black people are scared’

On Friday, EPS confirmed that the officer who shot Matios had returned to active duty after completing a “peer-driven” reintegration program.

Matios’ brother, Dini Arcangelo, said the decision “sends the wrong message.”

“It shows that the police don’t think he did anything wrong, even though everyone watching the 25-minute video saw my brother with his hands up,” Deeney said.

In addition to suspending the officer (without pay), Matios’ family is demanding the release of his autopsy report (which they say has not yet been received) and a “swift and thorough” investigation by ASIRT.

Deeney said if police do not file charges against the officer, his family will pursue all possible avenues, including civil litigation.

“If they let this officer get away with this, it sends a very, very bad message to the public that it’s OK for the public to accept something like this — a man with his hands up being shot,” Deeney said.

one Fund Me A charity set up to help Matios’ family with funeral and legal expenses had raised $32,071 as of Saturday afternoon.

Ali said the community will continue to support the family and he was disappointed to see the lackluster response from city and provincial officials to the shooting.

He said Matios’ death had an impact on the entire community and made many people feel unsafe.

“This could happen to any of us,” Ali said. “Young black men are scared… We shouldn’t be scared of law enforcement.”

EPS said in an email that it could not comment on the investigation but “acknowledges the tragic nature of this incident and recognises the impact it has had on the victims’ families, the wider community and first responders”.

According to EPS, there have been nine police shootings in Edmonton so far this year.

As of Friday, it was unclear how many officers had returned to active duty.

Information provided by CTV News Edmonton reporter Sean McClune