Calgary Police officer Sgt. Andrew Harnett died on December 31, 2020. (Image: Canadian Press / Calgary Police Service)

By Canadian Press

Teen suspect takes stand at murder trial in hit-and-run death of Calgary officer

Sep 27, 2022 | 11:25 AM

CALGARY, AB – A Calgary teen charged with first-degree murder in the death of a police officer in a hit-and-run took the witness stand as his trial resumed.

Sgt. Andrew Harnett of the Calgary Police Service died in hospital on Dec. 31, 2020, after being dragged by a fleeing SUV and falling into the path of an oncoming car.

The suspect vehicle’s alleged driver, who was 17 at the time, turned 19 in January but cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

In his testimony, he described an abusive childhood where his family moved 10 times over a decade between Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary to get away from his birth father.

The accused says he, his mother, and two older siblings lived mostly in homeless shelters during that time.

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: December 16-22, 2024

Dec 17, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: December 9-15, 2024

Dec 10, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: December 2-8, 2024

Dec 02, 2024

He also described his mother sending him to Montreal to live with his oldest brother after he got in trouble with the law in Calgary, where he returned six months later.

A passenger in the SUV, 20-year-old Amir Abdulrahmen, pleaded guilty last December to a lesser charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2022.

READ MORE: Passenger pleads guilty to manslaughter in hit-and-run death of Calgary officer