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Crown opens arguments at trial of suspect in Edmonton officer stabbing

EDMONTON — A Crown prosecutor says a man accused of stabbing an Edmonton police officer and striking four pedestrians with a van wanted to kill them.
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EDMONTON — A Crown prosecutor says a man accused of stabbing an Edmonton police officer and striking four pedestrians with a van wanted to kill them.

Elizabeth Wheaton delivered an opening statement this morning to a Court of Queen’s Bench jury in Edmonton at the trial for Abdulahi Hasan Sharif.

Sharif, who is in his early 30s, has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges, which include five courts of attempted murder.

He is also charged with aggravated assault against the police officer and dangerous driving.

Const. Mike Chernyk was on duty outside a Canadian Football League game on Sept. 30, 2017, when a driver crashed through a barrier, got out of a vehicle, pulled out a large knife and began stabbing the officer.

A few hours later, the driver of a speeding cube van hit and injured four pedestrians as it raced through the city’s downtown with police in pursuit.

The trial is expected to last six weeks.