RCMP cleared in fatal shooting of woman after her suspected kidnapping triggered high-speed chase

Wallis Snowdon · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 4:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

An probe into the decease of an Edmonton woman, caught successful the crossfire of an RCMP shooting northeast of Edmonton, describes her decease arsenic an unintended, tragic accident. 

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team issued its findings Wednesday into an officer-involved shooting connected Aug. 8, 2022, that left Dawson Steinhauer with superior injuries and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Faith Prohl, dead. 

The incidental began with a home unit ailment and an hours-long constabulary pursuit that ended when RCMP officers opened occurrence successful a tract connected the outskirts of Smoky Lake, Alta., 116 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

Alberta's police watchdog recovered that the officers were not alert that Prohl was hiding successful the tract erstwhile they opened fire, fatally wounding her with a slug that travelled done her close enarthrosis and into her chest. She died astatine the scene. 

Michael Ewenson, ASIRT's enforcement director, cleared the officers progressive of immoderate wrongdoing and ruled that they are not culpable for Prohl's death. 

"With the payment of hindsight, clip for detached reflection and cognition of the eventual outcome, it is casual to speculate astir however things could person been done differently," Ewenson wrote successful his report. 

"That is not the standard, however, against which an officer's behaviour is measured." 

The report does not sanction Prohl oregon Steinhauer, but identifies them lone arsenic the antheral and pistillate changeable by officers. 

Ewenson said the usage of unit was justified fixed the unsafe circumstances that officers faced astatine the country and the prolonged constabulary pursuit that unfolded that day.  

"[The woman] being changeable was wholly unintended, and her decease an highly tragic accident," Ewenson wrote. 

"Even if they had known, fixed the concern instantly facing them, their actions successful shooting astatine [the man] would not person changed. 

"They each utilized lawful unit against [the man]. However, successful utilizing the unit they did it had the collateral effect of sidesplitting [the woman].

The study details however RCMP were archetypal called to analyse a study of home violence, wherever Prohl had reportedly been assaulted and perchance held against her volition by her boyfriend.

An serviceman called to analyse the alleged abduction searched the Saddle Lake country and spotted Steinhauer down the instrumentality of a Lincoln SUV. The serviceman flashed his exigency lights and Steinhauer fled. 

The serviceman followed and called for back-up, pursuing the fishy conveyance arsenic it reached speeds of up to 120 km/h. Officers yet utilized a spike loop successful an effort to halt the vehicle, but the pursuit continued. 

According to the investigation, Prohl fired a changeable retired the car window, from the rider seat, toward the officers.

Steinhauer past drove to a state presumption successful Smoky Lake. Prohl exited the conveyance arsenic an equipped Steinhauer got retired and stole a motortruck from a operator who was gassing up astatine the pumps. 

A azygous changeable was fired by 1 of the officers arsenic the pursuit began again. 

After concisely losing show of the motortruck arsenic it near Smoky Lake, officers recovered it abandoned successful the trees, adjacent a religion connected a agrarian scope roadworthy connected the borderline of a pea field. They started a crushed search. 

Officers descended connected the area, wading done waist-high pea fields, earlier spotting Steinhauer successful the distance, pointing a firearm successful the absorption of police.

Prohl's determination was chartless arsenic 3 officers opened occurrence connected the field, the ASIRT probe found. 

The officers moved successful person arsenic Steinhauer fell to the crushed and recovered Prohl laying successful the field.

Prohl died astatine the scene.

Spent casings recovered from the country confirmed that officers fired astatine slightest 12 rounds. An autopsy confirmed that Prohl died of a slug wound. 

Steinhauer was airlifted from the country to infirmary successful Edmonton.

The grade of Steinhauer's injuries and his relationship of the events were not included successful the ASIRT study arsenic helium refused to talk to investigators, ASIRT said. 

In his report, Ewenson said Prohl displayed a "complete disregard" for the lives of radical connected the roadworthy erstwhile she fired from the vehicle.

Officers opened occurrence repeatedly during the pursuit to mitigate the nationalist hazard some posed during their formation from police, Ewenson said. 

When they encountered Steinhauer successful the field, officers had nary different alternate but to unfastened fire, Ewenson said.  

Steinhauer, who was 21 astatine the time, was charged with transgression flight, equipped robbery, pointing a firearm and breaching a weapons prohibition and sentenced to conscionable nether 5 years successful prison.