‘Ghosts’ were taunting teen who killed Edmonton officers, friend says

EDMONTON - Roman Shewchuk was too scared to sleep at home because, he said, ghosts" were taunting him," said a woman who knew the 16-year-old who killed two Edmonton police officers earlier this month.

Shewchuk, who was nearly 17, shot the officers who were responding to a domestic dispute call in the city's Inglewood neighbourhood just after midnight on March 16.

He then shot his mother - leaving her in serious but stable condition in hospital as of last Thursday - before shooting himself, according to authorities.

The incident stunned the city, and the country, and on Monday, hundreds lined downtown streets marked with blue ribbons as the funeral procession for constables Travis Jordan, 35 and Brett Ryan, 30, made its way from the Alberta Legislature to a packed Rogers Place stadium.

There are few details yet as to why Shewchuk shot the officers, but some who knew him have described him as a quiet kid who seemed troubled. It's not yet clear what sort of mental health struggles the teen was facing - nor can it be said that they were the reason for the violence - but a picture of the youth's life is beginning to emerge.

Courtney Oake, whose sons were friends with Shewchuk, told the Star she has sympathy for the officers and their families.

She said the tragedy's wake also calls for a conversation about children's mental health supports.

On Sunday, Oake went to the apartment complex where Shewchuk lived and put up signs she and her kids made to raise awareness about children's mental health.

Based on her own experience with Shewchuk - and on the fact that police said he was detained under the Mental Health Act and brought to a hospital last November - Oake said that, to her, he was a troubled kid that was crying for help."

But he had (gone) for help and the way our mental health system works for kids, they're not taking it seriously enough," said Oake. Out of my five children, you know, my children are that age, that could have been one of my children that were inside crying for help but couldn't get it."

What about this poor 16-year-old that lost his life?"

Oake, whose sons had met Shewchuk about seven years ago, described Shewchuk as a quiet kid who her children would ride bikes with. The last time she saw Shewchuk was about three months ago, she said. He'd regularly been coming to her place to hang out with her sons - and to sleep, she said.

He'd lay down on my loveseat and go to sleep and he'd sleep for like a straight 7 hours," said Oake.

We couldn't figure out what was really going on."

In her garage one day, Oake's boyfriend asked Shewchuk if anything was bothering him and about why he was coming over so often.

He told my boyfriend that he couldn't sleep at home because there was ghosts that were taunting him and messing with him, so he was scared to sleep there," she said.

But he was always a very quiet kid, like, very, very quiet. He barely talked at all, around us adults anyway, but he was very respectful."

Others who knew the family also noted that Shewchuk seemed to be struggling in the months leading up to the incident. Evan Oddleifson, a friend of Shewchuk's mother, Katya Nod, said that Shewchuk was very, very troubled."

He and his mother appeared to be not present in the same reality," Oddleifson said, and he described Shewchuk's struggles as severe." He said the teenager's interactions with the health-care system were constant."

(Shewchuk's mom) tried very hard to be a great mother to all three of her children, but it was certainly strained with her youngest," he added.

Shewchuk was known to police but past interactions were non-criminal in nature, authorities have said.

On March 12, an individual walked into a Pizza Hut and shot a 55-year-old employee, who as of last week. was still in hospital in critical but stable condition.

Police say they believe this individual was the same one who shot the two police officers - who the Star identified last Wednesday as being Shewchuk. Police won't confirm or release the name.

At 12:36 a.m. on March 16, constables Jordan and Ryan arrived at the apartment complex where Shewchuk lived with his mother and father. Police say they were met outside by a 55-year-old woman before going to the unit.

As soon as they arrived, they were shot multiple times by her son and were immediately incapacitated," police say. It happened so quickly neither officer was able to draw his weapon.

Mother and son then fought for control of the weapon before the teen shot her multiple times then finally turned the gun on himself.

Kieran Leavitt is an Edmonton-based political reporter for the Toronto Star. Follow him on Twitter: @kieranleavitt