Officer explains decision to fire at teen after crash ends police pursuit Inquest probes fatal shooting of 16-year-old; police summoned after Liquor Mart robbery By: Tyler Searle Posted: 6:50 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026

Staring her in the eyes, with his weapon raised and ready, a Winnipeg police officer repeatedly demanded Eishia Hudson, who was behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle, show him her hands before firing the round that killed the 16-year-old.

Const. Kyle Pradinuk spent hours testifying about the seconds before the shooting on April 8, 2020, on the third day of the provincial inquest that’s probing the life and death of the Indigenous teen.

Pradinuk was among the first officers on the scene when the stolen Jeep driven by Hudson jumped the median near Lagimodiere Boulevard and Fermor Avenue, lost control and slammed into a nearby Ford truck, he said.

“The crash itself was very loud, and I could almost see the rear end of the Jeep kind of lift,” Pradinuk said. “The main goal was to get to the Jeep, remove the driver and once the driver was taken into custody, provide medical aid to everybody.”

A bystander’s video of the incident was played repeatedly in court, showing Pradinuk and his partner immediately sprinting toward the crash. He said they believed the Jeep was disabled and its occupants were stunned by the collision, but just as the other officer gripped the driver’s-side door handle, the Jeep began to reverse.

Pradinuk said he drew his gun because he feared his partner was about to be run over.

“I’m pointing my firearm at Ms. Hudson… At this point, Ms. Hudson’s looking at me, she’s got her hand on the wheel,” Pradinuk said.

“As soon as it started moving backwards, that’s when I took a shot.”

Pradinuk told the inquest panel he did not know whether the bullet had struck Hudson. He continued to shout commands at her as she stared at him through the shattered window.

Then, he saw her reach for what he believed was the shifter and heard a grinding sound that made him think she had forced the vehicle into drive, causing it to “lurch forward,” he said.

That’s when he fired again.

“After my first shot, if she just continued going backward, I would not have fired again,” he said.

“I was reacting to her actions. I do not know what her intent was at the time.”

“I was reacting to her actions. I do not know what her intent was at the time.”

The inquest heard Hudson opened the door and raised her hands before Pradinuk and another officer put handcuffs on the teen.

In the moments after the shooting, Pradinuk issued a radio call saying shots had been fired and requested urgent support for an ambulance. That call never went through because the battery in his radio had been dislodged, he said.

Pradinuk went to assist with another arrest and then checked on the driver of the truck, before returning to Hudson less than a minute later.

“There was some blood in her mouth and she started to have a hard time breathing,” he said, describing how he began CPR.

An autopsy showed one of the bullets struck the teenager’s shoulder and travelled through her body, lodging in her spine.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, which probes shootings involving police, cleared Pradinuk of criminal culpability; the chief medical officer of Manitoba later ordered a review of the incident, which sparked the inquest process.

The inquest must determine whether the use of force against Hudson was justified and whether systemic racism played a role in her death.

Judge Margaret Wiebe, who cannot assign blame, is expected to issue a final report that could include recommendations on how to prevent similar tragedies.

An agreed statement of facts says the vehicle chase began when other officers spotted the stolen Jeep, which had been linked to a robbery at the Liquor Mart in Sage Creek. A store employee had reported the theft to police and described the suspects as Indigenous youth between the ages of 15 and 18.

Pradniuk said he and his partner responded to the Lagimodiere intersection to set up a spike strip on the road in an attempt to stop the fleeing vehicle, but it crashed before reaching their location.

He said he viewed the Jeep as a threat because fellow officers reported it had “rammed” their vehicle during the pursuit.

Previous testimony revealed the Jeep did not damage the police cruiser, but rather glanced off the driver’s side during the attempt to evade capture.

Pradinuk said the term is commonly used in police context to describe any contact between vehicles, and does not necessarily represent the significance of the collision.

“What hitting that vehicle said to me, was that there was an intent to, at least, get away at almost any cost.”

“What hitting that vehicle said to me, was that there was an intent to, at least, get away at almost any cost, including potentially putting police at risk and the Jeep at risk as well,” he said.

Danielle Morrison, the lawyer for the Hudson family, questioned Pradinuk about whether heightened stress at the time of the incident may have caused him to think the Jeep was moving forward when he fired the second round — noting it is difficult to see forward motion in the video.

“Would you agree that it’s possible your perception of the Jeep’s movement is different than what the video shows?” she said.

“I would say anything is possible. I can only say what I remember, what I recall and what I experienced,” he responded.

The inquest resumes Thursday with further testimony from officers who were on the scene. It is slated to continue throughout the month.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca