Man sentenced in death of Calgary police officer

One of the men charged in the death of a Calgary police officer on New Year’s Eve in 2020 has been handed his sentence for the role he played in the incident.

In December, Amir Abdulrahman pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in the death of Sgt. Andrew Harnett.

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On Friday, Abdulrahman was sentenced to five years in prison. With time served included in the sentence, he will spend three years and five months behind bars.

The crown had asked for a sentence of 8 to 9 years for Abdulrahman, while the defence asked for two years of jail time, then two years of probation.

“On a personal level, on behalf of the prosecution, I’m disappointed on the overall number,” said Crown prosecutor Michael Ewenson.

He said a sentence of upwards of nine years would be been appropriate while also factoring in Abdulrahman’s age and his guilty plea, along with the risk police officers face.

“This was supposed to be a routine traffic stop,” he said. “In our view, Mr. Abdulrahman played a significant role in the death of Sgt. Harnett and that’s why we asked for the sentence we did.”

In his ruling, Justice Robert Hall said Abdulrahman’s role in the incident was “largely, but not completely, spontaneous” and also “impulsive”.

He added while there were aggravating factors, such as the fact this was the death of a police officer and Abdulrahman should have been able to realize Harnett was being put at high risk of significant harm, the 20-year-old was also remorseful about his actions and saved the added strain of a trial by pleading to the manslaughter charge.

The defence also said the sentence was too high in their view, although there are no plans for an appeal at this moment.

“For a young man, who’s just 20, he has great insight into what happened here. He is very, very remorseful,” said defence counsel Balfour Der. “For my client’s minimal involvement, it was higher than I hoped for.”

The person said to be driving the SUV that night, a 17-year-old at the time, is expected to go on trial Monday.

The fatal traffic stop

Police have said Harnett tried to stop an SUV on the evening of Dec. 31, when he noticed its licence plate didn’t match its registration.

Bodycam video of Harnett’s final moments showed Harnett making the traffic stop, and cordially speaking to the occupants.

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After he discovered the passenger, Abdulrahman, had four outstanding warrants, another officer went to arrest him.

The car took off with Harnett on the driver’s side. He told the driver to stop, but the car continued. The other officers decided not to shoot as to not hurt Harnett.

Over the next 38 seconds, the car travelled over 400 metres along Falconridge Blvd., at times coming close to colliding with oncoming traffic, before Harnett was flung off the vehicle and struck by another car.

Abdulrahman grabbed the wheel three separate times during the incident, leading to the dispute in court over how much control he had over the car and therefore his responsibility.

“His role, his actions were part of the causation to Sgt. Harnett’s death,” said Ewenson. “Case law recognizes that sentences need to deter and denounce any sort of violence towards officers.”

There was a third man in the vehicle, seated in the back, but they have never been identified or come forward to police.

While there is still another trial to come, there is some hope that ending this case can start to bring some closure and Der said he is hopeful his client has learned from the tragedy.

“You know, he was hanging with a bad crowd when this occurred. I don’t expect that his shadow will ever darken the doorstep of a courthouse ever again.”

Abdulrahman apologizes to Harnett’s family

In December, Abdulrahman apologized to the family of Harnett, other officers, the person driving the other car, and his own family.

He said he won’t forgive himself for a long time and promised to live on a straight path from now on.

“My client’s apology, first of all, which was quite heartfelt, and I’m sure they took it in the way in which he meant it which is that he is so sorry for their loss,” said Balfour Der, the lawyer representing Abdulrahman.

Harnett’s brother said it was noble for him to apologize.

“I think my mom felt the same way. Are we in any position to offer forgiveness right now? No. Are we in a position to say we want time in jail? Absolutely not.”

Harnett’s wife was in the courtroom during the sentencing, wiping away tears and holding back sobs as the judge read out his sentencing and detailed the tragic events that happened on Dec. 31, 2020.

Abdulrahman nodded in agreement when Justice Hall recalled how Harnett’s mother hoped he would learn from this and make a positive change in his life.

– With files from the Canadian Press and Stefanie Lasuik