An Edmonton man who supplied a semi-automatic rifle later used to kill two police officers and nearly kill a third man has been found guilty of manslaughter.
The accused, Dennis Okeymow, now 21, was convicted Tuesday at the Edmonton law courts for 10 crimes, including three counts of manslaughter along with a number of lesser charges.
Justice John Little said while Okeymow didn’t pull the trigger, by selling a semi-automatic rifle to 16-year-old Roman Shewchuk, the young man knew or should have known something terrible could result.
Okeymow was charged with 17 offences in the March 2023 deaths of Edmonton police constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan, as well as the teen.
He was also found guilty on Tuesday of causing bodily harm to the shooter’s mother, Kateryna Shewchuk, and to pizza delivery driver Rich (Richard) Albert — who was shot in the head with the same gun just days before the police shooting.
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The judge also found him guilty of three counts of criminal negligence with a firearm causing death, and two counts of criminal negligence with a firearm causing bodily harm.
“This is a significant decision by the court,” said the service that employs prosecutors in a statement. “The Alberta Crown Prosecution wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the Edmonton Police Service and the other law enforcement agencies and laboratories for their exceptional work on this file. As the matter remains before the court for sentencing, no further comment can be made at this time.”
Sentencing will happen at a later date.
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Trial begins for man who sold gun that killed two Edmonton Police Service officers
Okeymow previously pleaded guilty to seven other charges, mostly related to drugs and his activities as a dial-a-dope dealer.
He met the shooter in the summer of 2021, when they were both teenagers (17 and 15), and their relationship was based on selling and buying drugs — primarily marijuana but also occasionally psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and cocaine.
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In early 2023, Okeymow sold Roman a STG 44 firearm along with 80 rounds of ammunition for $2,500 — well over the combined retail value of $650.
That specific firearm had been purchased legally at Cabela’s in 2016 but changed hands a few times in the ensuing years, police determined.
An agreed statement of facts shared at the beginning of the trial said there was no evidence Okeymow gave Roman any safety equipment for the safe storage or transport (trigger-lock, cable-lock, case, safe etc.) of the gun, or that he provided ear or eye protection.
The semi-automatic gun wasn’t illegal at the time but has since been banned in Canada.
Both shootings happened within a week of each other when Okeymow was 18.
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Okeymow trial decision now in judge’s hands
Pizza Hut shooting
The first shooting took place in the early morning hours of March 12, 2023, at a Pizza Hut To Go near 133 Street and 114 Avenue, by Westmount Mall.
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Rich Albert, then 55, was working his second job as a delivery driver. The shooting happened about half an hour before closing.
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He was standing by the front counter when a masked gunman opened the front door, pointed the semi-automatic 22-calibre gun, shot Albert in the head from less than three feet away, and walked out.
The entire interaction took just six seconds — leaving the Edmonton man bleeding on the floor with a traumatic brain injury and wound that destroyed one of his eyes.
He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and remained there for several months, nearly dying from a brain abscess.
He had poor cognitive function and it took Albert months to be able to be consistently oriented to time, place and situation, let alone be able to do anything more complex.
Albert lost sight in his left eye, still has bullet fragments lodged inside his brain, experiences short-term memory loss, anxiety spells and periodic bouts of depression.
The shooting has left Albert with significant lifelong injuries, unable to work and requiring medical care for the rest of his life.
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Edmonton police believe Pizza Hut shooting was a random attack
EPS officers killed during domestic violence call
The second shooting happened four days later.
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The police shooting happened four days later at the Baywood Park apartment complex near 114 Avenue and 132 Street, just across Groat Road from the strip mall containing the Pizza Hut.
Roman lived there with his parents, Katerina and Ronald Shewchuk.
On the night police officers Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan were shot, the court heard Roman had been making strange noises and talking in different voices inside his bedroom.
His mom tried to record the sounds from the hallway when Roman caught and attacked her, choking her until she was unconscious.
When she woke, she fled to a neighbour and got help calling 911, as her choked, sore throat made taking difficult.
Officers Jordan and Ryan responded to the domestic violence call.
When they arrived and met with Katerina, she expressed fear her son would kill himself.
She followed the officers as they walked inside and up to the second-floor apartment. The officers knocked and asked to come in and talk to Roman.
The three were instead met with a barrage of 10 bullets, most of which hit them in their heads.
The officers died instantly — they were ambushed so quickly, neither had time to raise their own guns and fire back.
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Jordan, 35, had been with EPS for eight-and-a-half years, and Ryan, 30, had been with the service for five-and-a-half years. Both were married and Ryan’s wife was pregnant with their first child.
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Kateryna was shot through the neck and mouth/jaw, but was able to flee. She was found not responsive and staring off into space with critical injuries. She was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery.
Before backup arrived, Roman shot himself in the head. His father Ronald was inside the apartment and watched his son commit suicide.
Roman was found in the front hallway with the gun beside him. Police later searched his room and found 50 unspent rounds of ammunition in a heart-shaped tin, along with other evidence connecting Roman to both shootings.
A bullet cartridge casing recovered from the scene of the March 12 Pizza Hut shooting matched the gun found at the March 16 apartment scene.
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DNA found on a knife outside the Pizza Hut also matched Roman’s DNA.
Undercover Operation Miguel
Months after the shootings, police began to suspect Dennis Okeymow had provided the gun and an investigation was launched to gather more information from him.
He was arrested in July 2023 on an unrelated matter by Sherwood Park RCMP, in order for police to get him connected to an undercover officer with the code name Miguel.
That officer was involved in a staged traffic stop and Okeymow was driven past, where the cop appeared to be detained for a firearms offence. The two were then housed in the same cell at the RCMP detachment while their conversations were monitored.
After being celled together for several hours, the two were released within minutes of one another. Then, another undercover officer posing as Miguel’s girlfriend offered a ride and dropped their suspect back off near his home.
That November, Okeymow was arrested for firearms trafficking and other offences while at his home near 160 Street and 98 Avenue in west Edmonton. His phone was seized and analyzed by forensic investigators. Okeymow was then charged with manslaughter and several other crimes.
Shooter’s mental health struggles
Roman Shewchuk’s parents repeatedly expressed concerns about his well-being.
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Court heard the teenager had a documented history of mental health issues and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Throughout 2022, Roman experienced repeated mental health crises requiring several police interventions, emergency department visits, and psychiatric hospitalizations.
During these episodes, court heard he displayed clear psychotic symptoms, such as auditory hallucinations — including the belief that parasites had been implanted in his neck by aliens — delusional beliefs involving demons and possession, and paranoid or bizarre behaviour, as reported by both family members and clinical staff.
Roman Shewchuk in the Shewchuk apartment in spring 2022.
Agreed statement of facts
During a six-week psychiatric admission in the spring of 2022, he was prescribed anti-psychotic medication and records showed his condition improved when he stopped using weed while hospitalized — but he quickly reverted to his old ways after being discharged.
Not taking his meds and resuming cannabis use contributed to worsening psychotic symptoms and declining functioning.
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Roman was apprehended by police under the Mental Health Act and admitted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital’s Child Psychiatry Unit in the fall of 2022.
He again improved while hospitalized, but once released, became non-compliant again and didn’t go back to school at Ross Sheppard High School.
From the beginning of 2022 to his death on March 16, 2023, Roman had several interactions with EPS due to his deteriorating psychiatric condition.
Family members frequently contacted police due to his psychosis, aggression, unpredictable behaviour, and escalating safety concerns within the home.
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–with files from Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press
