Teen guilty of manslaughter in the death of police officer from Hagersville

A teen, accused of killing Sgt. Andrew Harnett during a traffic stop in 2020, has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Harnett, who grew up in Hagersville, Ont., was working as a police officer in Calgary.

On Dec. 31, 2020, he was dragged 437 metres down the street by a fleeing SUV and into the path of an oncoming car.

The 37-year-old died an hour later in hospital.

The teen who was driving the SUV, and cannot be identified because he was 17 at the time, testified in court he was scared when Harnett and another officer approached the vehicle and Harnett put his hand on his gun.

The teen was initially charged with first-degree murder.

"The accused's youthfulness must be considered," Judge Anna Loparco said. "I am left with a reasonable doubt as to whether the accused turned his mind in that moment to whether the consequences of his actions would cause Harnett's death."

On Thursday, the teen was found guilty of manslaughter.

Harnett’s family was upset with the judge’s decision.

“You question the victim’s rights, the family’s rights, all those left behind that have to continue to navigate this,” said his brother Jason Harnett. “Obviously we don’t feel justice was served here.”

The Calgary Police Service also posted a statement on their social media page.

They said the verdict was “a difficult one for members of the Calgary Police Service, and for Sgt. Harnett’s family and friends.” They added: “We are confident that the solid case brought to the court will withstand the test of further judicial review.”

“This was obviously not the verdict we were hoping for,” said Calgary Chief Const. Mark Neufeld in the statement. “Nothing, however, that could have happened today would have changed the fact we have lost a friend, a colleague, a leader, and most importantly Andrew’s loved ones have lost a spouse, a brother and son.”

The teen will be sentenced at a later date.

He was one of three people in the SUV that night.

One of the passengers, Amir Abdulrahman, was 19-years-old at the time.

He plead guilty to manslaughter in 2021 and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Harnett began his policing career in Hagersville.

His brother spoke to CTV News just days after his death in 2021.

"He was born to be a police officer and he knew it," said Jason Harnett. "He just had a passion to serve. There was right and wrong, and he really believed in that."

Harnett was the youngest of three brothers and was expecting a child with his wife at the time of his death.

-- With reporting from The Canadian Press and CTV News Calgary