Family of international student killed by Winnipeg police calls for release of investigation’s findings

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    The family of Afolabi Stephen Opaso, who was killed one year ago in a police-involved shooting during a mental health crisis, says it’s time for findings from the investigation and review to be released. Joanne Roberts reports.

    A year after an international student in Winnipeg was fatally shot by police, his family is calling for the investigation’s findings to be released.

    Afolabi Stephen Opaso, 19, was shot and killed by Winnipeg police at an apartment building near the University of Manitoba on Dec. 31, 2023.

    Police have said responding officers found the student from Nigeria acting erratically and claim he was armed with two knives when he was shot.

    Opaso’s family has maintained he was experiencing a mental breakdown.


    International student Afolabi Opaso, 19, who was fatally shot by Winnipeg police Dec. 31, 2023. (Submitted by: Jean-Rene Kwilu)

    Now a year later, the family still wants answers.

    “The investigation into Afolabi’s death has dragged on far too long, and we are still left with more questions than answers,” said the student’s sister Yemisi’s Opaso, who spoke Monday via Zoom from Nigeria.

    “It’s always the same thing. Nothing new. They are still reviewing all their findings.”

    Afolabi Opaso’s sister Yemisi, speaking on a Zoom call, says the investigation into her brother’s death is dragging on too long. (Mike Sudoma, CityNews)

    In the days after the fatal shooting, the investigation – which would normally be handled by Manitoba’s police watchdog – was transferred over to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).

    The out-of-province transfer was because Manitoba’s Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) learned an officer involved in the shooting is a close relative of an employee of Manitoba Justice, and they wanted to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.

    Opaso’s family is now claiming the investigation is delayed, saying it’s time for it to be completed.

    “Our family deserves transparency, accountability and above all, we need justice,” the Opaso family wrote in a statement.

    “The delay in the investigation has only compounded our grief, leaving us feeling as though Afolabi’s life and death has been treated with indifference. Afolabi’s life matters. We employ the authority to act swiftly and release the finding of the investigation, so we can begin to find the closure that we desperately need.

    “Our pain is immeasurable but our commitment to seeking justice for Afolabi is unwavering.”

    Jean-René Dominique Kwilu, a Winnipeg lawyer representing the Opaso family, says there is regular communication between the family and ASIRT, but the investigation seems to have stalled since March.

    “They have been with, I guess it’s like a family liaison with the Alberta team that’s been in contact with them,” Kwilu said.

    Winnipeg lawyer Jean-René Dominique Kwilu is representing the Opaso family. (Joanne Roberts, CityNews)

    Yemisi Opaso says she’s angry and frustrated with the lack of updates. She says she was initially told the investigation’s findings would likely be released at the end of the year, but has since been told ASIRT can’t provide a clear timeline on the review and its completion.

    “Although he was here as an international student, he made Winnipeg his city,” Kwilu said. “He had plans to stay here and to build his own way here, but unfortunately he was buried here. It was a tough decision for them, without family being present. So that was difficult.”

    CityNews reached out to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team but did not immediately receive a response.

    The mother of Afolabi Stephen Opaso was too upset to speak during a Zoom interview a year after her son’s death. (Mike Sudoma, CityNews)

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