In a recent Superior Court proceeding, three constables stepped up to the witness stand to recount the ghastly events that transpired on the fateful day of June 6, 2021. The court case involves the charges brought against Nathaniel Veltman, a 22-year old, accused of directing cruel, terrorism-induced carnage against the unsuspecting Afzaal family. The onslaught resulted in four deaths and left a young boy in critical condition.
The family was struck by a pickup truck at the junction of Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road in London, Ontario where they were walking on the sidewalk. Constable Michael Olszowy, who was halfway through his 12th shift of service at the London Police Department under Constable Brock Dease’s tutelage, was summoned to the scene.
In court, Dease recounted the grueling sight on the intersection. His narrative was challenging to articulate without emotion, and even more so for the family to absorb. He described locating an elderly woman, sprawled on her back amidst the street chaos, possibly suffering from broken limbs, abdominal, and facial injuries.
While attending to the woman, alarmed citizens conveyed about a young boy who was also struck. Handing over the woman’s care to a fellow officer, Dease rushed to identify the boy, who was visibly upset and bearing cuts on his hand. In quick succession, he was informed of another casualty.
This third casualty was a teenage girl lying motionlessly under a ‘for sale’ sign, her eyes wide open, and her head moving subtly as her body failed to stir. A paramedic was quickly dispatched to attend to her. Upon returning to the elderly woman, Dease received news from a firefighter about the termination of her CPR efforts.
Dease’s attention then turned to the swelling crowd gathering at the scene. He promptly requested the onlookers to disperse and positioned his police cruiser to obstruct incoming traffic, hence providing medical professionals the space they needed. Peculiarly, he also spotted tire tracks across the grass.
Constable Olszowy’s deposition about a woman he discovered lying on the ground was abruptly halted by the defence, leading to a legal spat amongst the attorneys, and no further questioning was put forth to him.
Thursday’s testimony was wrapped up by Constable Patti Leavoy-Costa. En route to the accident scene, her course was altered towards a nearby mall on the instruction of capturing a suspect, who was later identified as Nathaniel Veltman.
Leavoy-Costa recollected the unique helmet, part of Veltman’s military-style attire inclusive of a bulletproof vest, which immediately grasped her attention. Upon arrival, she took precautionary measures to switch off the running vehicle and retrieved the keys from the ignition as it was emitting smoke. Veltman was then securely placed in a cruiser, post which, Leavoy-Costa conducted a search of the truck. Her search revealed the presence of a machete in the driver’s door pocket and a pocketknife on the centre console.
Leavoy-Costa painted an unsettling image of Veltman, who she described as “excitable”, “continually yelling”, and unnervingly “smiling.” The defense attorney, Christopher Hicks, objected to her description of his client, leading to the adjournment of the court for the day. The trial is slated to reconvene on Friday morning at 10 am, continuing with the evidence from Leavoy-Costa.
