Teen’s emotional family members open inquest into her police shooting death

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This article was published 02/02/2026 (224 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Family members fought through tears Monday as they stood in a provincial courtroom and shared memories of 16-year-old Eishia Hudson, who was shot and killed by Winnipeg police at the end of a 2020 vehicle chase.

Their opening comments set the stage for the fatality inquest that began Monday and will spend weeks examining the circumstances of the teen’s life and death.

Her father told court he hopes its findings will help change the relationship between Indigenous youth and the justice system.

“The loss of Eishia changed us forever. There is an empty space that cannot be filled,” William Hudson said, stopping frequently to compose himself.

“But her life and her passing carry meaning beyond this moment. Her tragic loss has created — and will continue to create — change for other Indigenous youth.”

“Her life and her passing carry meaning beyond this moment.”

Hudson wore a black and red ribbon shirt and clutched an eagle feather before taking the stand to speak about his love for his daughter, who was shot twice on April 8, 2020.

Police said she and a group of other teens fled in a stolen vehicle following a robbery at the Sage Creek Liquor Mart, ramming into a police cruiser and other vehicles during a high-speed pursuit.

In a statement to the Independent Investigation Unit, the officer who fired the fatal shots said he feared the teen was trying to strike police with the vehicle.

The police watchdog later cleared the officer of criminal culpability, but the teen’s death triggered the inquest process.

The examination will not assign blame to those involved, but is intended to determine whether the shooting was justified and if systemic racism played a role.

Judge Margaret Wiebe, who is leading the inquest, thanked the family for participating in “what I know will be a difficult and challenging” process.

“We don’t want people to forget that this is a young woman,” she said. “No matter how things turn out, at the end of the day, this is a tragedy.”

Wiebe will provide a written report to the province after the inquest concludes, outlining her findings and possible recommendations on changes to legislation, programs, policies or practices to prevent similar deaths from occurring again.

The inquest will hear the first pieces of evidence Tuesday, beginning with an agreed statement of facts, said Dayna Steinfeld, one of the lawyers appointed to act as inquest counsel and represent the public interest.

WPS officers involved in the shooting will be the first to speak, and their testimony will likely continue into early next week. The inquest will then hear from witnesses who were with Eishia Hudson on the day she died, and from other people who were on the scene, Steinfeld said.

The identities of four witnesses will remain anonymous because they were minors at the time.

A use-of-force expert who participated in the IIU probe will testify, followed by a Winnipeg Police Service staff sergeant who will discuss training and cultural awareness.

Officials from the First Nations Family Advocate Office and the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth, and other expert witnesses, are also slated to testify throughout the proceedings, Steinfeld said.

The inquest began with Indigenous prayers and ceremony, including a smudging ceremony that filled the courtroom with the smell of burning sage.

Mary-Anne Hudson told court she remembers her sister as someone who was kind, gentle, athletic and maternal.

“She had a way with words… no matter how she felt, she put others first,” she said. “She was the glue that held our family together and made us whole.”

Eishia Hudson’s mother, Christie Zebrasky, agreed.

“She was cared for and loved by her family,” Zebrasky said.

Sarah Fontaine, who was in a relationship with the teen at the time of the shooting, said they met in middle school and quickly formed a close bond.

“Eishia had one of the most beautiful smiles,” Fontaine said. “She should not be defined by one moment in her life… she had big dreams for herself and her family.”

Eishia’s family did not address reporters directly, but Grand Chief Kyra Wilson, who leads the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, spoke on their behalf outside court.

“The family, right now, is of course wanting to ensure that their voices are being heard through this process, and they have worked on recommendations on ensuring that this doesn’t happen again,” Wilson said.

“It will be up to government to ensure that they are listening to the voices of the family and listening to what those needs are going to be.”

Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan, who was in court to support the family, said she hopes the inquest changes the relationship between the police service and Indigenous people.

“Hopefully, they will take actions with the recommendations that come out of this inquest,” she said.

“It needs more than cultural-awareness training. This is systemic and it’s costing lives.”

She also said she does not believe the IIU is adequately independent to ensure fair and impartial investigations for people harmed or killed during police interactions.

The inquest will continue until Feb. 27 before a break. It will resume on March 12 and March 13, a provincial court spokesperson confirmed.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

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