Nephew of 70-year-old fatally shot by police during weapons call speaks out
The nephew of the 70-year-old man shot by police after appearing to threaten people with a machete in downtown Windsor, Ont. — later dying in hospital — says he feels sorry for the two officers who had to confront him in his uncle’s final moments.
“If there’s any way that I could apologize on behalf of the family for the pain that these two officers must be carrying with them, I’d like to do that,” says Ted Andkilde on the Aug. 17 edition of AM800’s The Shift with Patty Handysides.
On Monday around 2:30 p.m., Windsor police officers attended the intersection of Wyandotte Street and Ouellette Avenue in downtown Windsor for a report of a man wielding a weapon.
In a video of the incident submitted to CTV News Windsor, 70-year-old Allan Andkilde — appearing to raise a machete — approaches two officers.
According to Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), one officer deployed a Taser while another fatally shot him.
The 70-year-old’s nephew says this was not the first interaction his uncle had with law enforcement.
Back in 2014, Andkilde, who was 62 at the time, was charged with multiple offences including aggravated assault and breaking-and-entering.
Later that year, he was sentenced to five years in prison after court heard he forced his way into a property and slashed a person’s neck, according to a report by Global News.
Allan Andkilde also pleaded guilty to an assault charge back in the early 90s, his nephew adds.
“His entire life was riddled with brushes with the law and he unfortunately left a lot of damage in his wake,” says Ted, adding his uncle “moved around the province” throughout his life.
“He was in the Hamilton area and then he was back in Windsor and then he was out west. About two years ago, after he was released from prison, he made his way back to the Windsor area,” he says.
Ted does not blame police for how they dealt with his uncle, telling AM800 there was only so much they could do under the circumstances.
While the 70-year-old’s death has renewed a conversation surrounding mental health, Ted adds his thoughts are with the officer who fired the fatal shot.
“They had a person who essentially lured them into a situation and then threaten them and rushed at them with a weapon. The officer simply had very few options available,” says Ted.
He adds, “I think when people lead a life outside the norms of society and burn bridges as they go, they’re left with very few choices.”
The SIU is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Allan Andkilde’s death.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.