No charges in stabbing death of Nova Scotia man in Ottawa, police say
Ottawa police say no one will face charges in connection to the stabbing death of a 19-year-old Nova Scotia man in Ottawa's downtown this summer.
Eric Hewer was out celebrating his birthday with a friend, but in the early evening of July 26, the two, who were driving in a black Volkswagen, got into an alleged altercation with three teens riding e-scooters.
Police say Hewer and his friend were stabbed in the area of Metcalfe and Albert Streets. Both were transported to hospital, Hewer died of his injuries.
"Life changing is the only way I can describe this. For all of us it’s been life changing," says Hewer’s older brother Brendon. "He paid the ultimate price when everybody was responsible and it’s not fair."
Police announced on Wednesday that the Homicide Unit has concluded its investigation into the altercation that led to the stabbing death of Hewer, and no charges will be laid.
"After an extensive review of this incident, Homicide investigators have determined that the individual acted in self-defence and as such, there are no reasonable and probable grounds to lay a criminal charge," said police.
On July 28, police said investigators were looking to speak with anyone with information about an altercation between three e-scooter riders and a black Volkswagen at the time of the stabbing.
Insp. Carl Cartright says bad decisions were made by everyone involved.
"Even though we are not proceeding criminally that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any other means process in regards to this," says Cartright. "It’s a difficult decision to make when you look the criminal justice system as a whole and the role of the police and our role in this case is to be impartial."
Friends and family say Hewer had just moved to Ottawa, from his hometown in Sydney, N.S., to start a new job.
Brendan Hewer says community support has been overwhelming, a GoFundMe page was started to help his family, and that his younger brother was a kind and caring individual.
"He loved to have fun he loved to help his community he was always looking for other ways to help people," he says. "Everybody that day made a mistake that’s not what we're saying. What we’re saying is deadly force was used against somebody when deadly force should not have been used. We just want somebody held responsible for Eric’s death."
Hewer was Ottawa's 12th homicide victim of 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.