Edmonton woman alleges unprovoked police assault; ASIRT investigating after Fort Road incident

Fabyan Deschamps alleges an Edmonton Police Service officer assaulted her without provocation in a Fort Road parking lot in August after she cooperated with police requests. The complaint has moved to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team for consideration of a criminal investigation.

Deschamps says two officers approached her group and asked for names. She complied. She alleges an officer then grabbed her by the back of the head and threw her face-first into cement. "When I regained consciousness, my face appeared severely injured," Deschamps said. "It looked like I got hit by a bus or something."

She sustained injuries to her face and back and has experienced headaches, memory problems, and emotional overwhelm since the incident. Deschamps says she is now fearful of going outside, and every police siren or helicopter triggers anxiety. "I'm afraid something bad might happen to me," she said.

Deschamps does not know why the alleged incident occurred but expressed concern that her First Nations background may have been a factor. "It's not okay, just because we're minorities and Aboriginal people or that we come from the streets. It's not okay to treat us like that and kick us while we're already down," she said.

Dan Jones, NorQuest College justice studies chair and former Edmonton Police Service member (25 years including homicide, undercover and gang work), noted that while force is sometimes necessary, unnecessary use raises questions about training, personnel, or systems. "The fact that it moves to ASIRT tells me that there's likely something more to this from a complaint perspective," Jones said. "This is going to be one of those test cases that determine whether the systems are actually working for the complainants."

Edmonton Police Service said Thursday it was working on a response to the alleged incident. Deschamps has met with an ASIRT investigator and hopes the complaint will produce results. The source material does not specify an investigation timeline or outcome.