WINNIPEG — The family of a 16-year-old First Nations girl fatally shot by police in Winnipeg is recommending the service develop a unit specifically for responding to youth-involved incidents. The first of two days of submissions into an inquest examining the events of Eishia Hudson's death began on Wednesday. "We have examined the final moments of her life in detail, but Eishia's life was far more than the circumstances of her death," Danielle Morrison, counsel for Eishia's family, told inquest Judge Margaret Wiebe. "Eishia was 16 years old. She should have had the opportunity to grow up, and no recommendation can return her to her family. The court can honour the preventative purpose of this inquest … by identifying what must change." Eishia was shot in April 2020 after officers, responding to reports of a liquor store robbery, chased a stolen Jeep she was driving. The inquest heard the vehicle hit a police cruiser and hit other vehicles during the pursuit before an officer fired the fatal shots. It is to look at whether systemic racism played a role in the death and whether the use of force was appropriate. It doesn't assign blame, but Wiebe is expected to issue recommendations to help prevent similar deaths in the future. The inquest heard testimony from Eishia's family, several of the officers on the scene, including the one who shot the teen, and some of the youths who were in the vehicle with the girl. Const. Kyle Pradinuk testified he fired two shots at Eishia because he believed his colleagues' lives were in danger by the moving Jeep. Cellphone video evidence taken from a witness was presented during the inquest. It appeared to show the Jeep was backing away from officers during the encounter. Morrison told the court the family supports training for police on how to interact with youth and that it should be informed by young people who have experience with the child welfare or justice systems. "The experiences of First Nations youth should help shape services and institutional responses directed at them." She argued that adolescence, intoxication and panic can impact how a young person responds to a situation. The family is also calling for a specific police response team that answers calls involving youth similar to a unit that responds to mental health calls. Part of the inquest focused on the language police use. Court heard Eishia made contact with a police cruiser during the pursuit. Police described it as being "rammed" but one officer acknowledged that it is common police lingo and the impact was not significant. Eishia's family asked for police to use language that is brief and specifically precise to avoid future misconceptions about any threat risks. "Accurate language supports accurate decisions," said Morrison. The court heard dozens of recommendations from counsel for the inquest. Among other changes the police force should implement is improving training on when it's best to call off pursuing a suspect in a vehicle, review use-of-force training and explore options of expanding police helicopter resources. The inquest heard that air support was not available at the time of the pursuit, but that it could have assisted officers in safely tracking the vehicle. Collecting race-based data on police use-of-force interactions was supported by inquest counsel. "Having the data … absolutely would prevent a similar death in the future," said Dayna Steinfeld. The inquest heard that the police service is in the process of collecting this type of data but further details were not provided. Lawyers for Winnipeg police are scheduled to respond on Thursday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026. Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
