Police charge driver in salon crash

Steve Cancilla said his 'stomach is in knots' waiting to hear more details about the death of his partner Kendall Wiebe. (BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store

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Facebook photo / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Kendall Wiebe.

A 32-year-old man is accused of dangerous driving when he crashed his car into an Ultracuts business in the spring and killed 27-year-old Kendall Wiebe, court documents show.

Adebola Akinwunmi Shoyoye of Winnipeg faces four charges in connection to the April 7 crash on Portage Avenue near Rouge Road, including criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

He was released on a promise to appear in court. Shoyoye is due to appear in court Nov. 26.

The April 7 crash was described as a horrific incident by witnesses.

The crash -- an SUV slammed into the Westwood hair salon where Kendall Wiebe worked, killing her and injuring another employee -- shocked the city and left many searching for answers.

The Jeep Liberty was northbound on Rouge Road at about 5:45 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, when it sped across Portage and ploughed into the Ultracuts salon at Portage and Cavalier Drive, hitting the two employees as it continued through the shop and coming to a halt only when it smashed into the rear wall.

Wiebe was pinned by the SUV and taken to hospital in critical condition. She died from her injuries the next day.

Lyndsey Johnston was run over by the vehicle. She suffered broken ribs and lacerations. Johnston has not been back to work.

Police said alcohol or drug use were not factors in the crash.

There was speculation that a stuck accelerator was to blame for the crash but a review of Transport Canada vehicle recalls found that wasn't a problem.

Kendall Wiebe's partner Steve Cancilla has been waiting for months to learn more details about how she died. Cancilla said late last week police told him charges would be brought against the driver, but added he doesn't know exactly what those charges will be.

"My stomach is in knots knowing I'm going to have to wait another night to find out," Cancilla said Monday.

Wiebe was the mother of the couple's four-year-old girl, Brynn, and was helping raise Cancilla's nine-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

A witness who went to the aid of the dazed 32-year-old driver said the SUV drove through the busy intersection, up over the median and into the parking lot of the Safeway and strip mall across the street.

The speeding vehicle weaved its way around parking barricades and rammed into the strip-mall Ultracuts.

There were two recalls (2010 and 2007 models) associated with braking that could lead to accidents. There was also a recall involving loss of steering in the 2002-03 model.

According to an online version of the 2012 Jeep Liberty manual, the vehicle has an event data recorder that records how far a brake or accelerator was pressed down and how fast the vehicle was going. Event data recorders collect the information when crashes or near-crashes happen.

Winnipeg police asked Transport Canada to examine the vehicle, and the agency concluded there was nothing mechanically wrong with it.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

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Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 2, 2012 A7