Cyclist May Have Been Drinking Before Fatal Crash
Posted September 2, 2009 8:36 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A fatal crash has left a much-loved bike courier dead and a former Ontario Attorney General facing criminal charges.
Now, friends of the deceased admit the victim may have been drinking the night of the collision, and that he was prone to violent outbursts.
Darcy Allan Sheppard, 33, died in hospital Monday night following the Yorkville collision.
Michael Bryant, 43, is charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.
If Bryant is convicted of the first charge, he could face a lifetime in prison. Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.
Police will not comment on reports that Sheppard had been drinking until the results of toxicology tests are available.
One friend, however, admitted he was handcuffed and put in the back of a cruiser after a drunken argument not long before he was involved in the fatal incident.
“The police had him in the car, in front of his former residence and they let him ride away completely drunk,” he said.
“It’s possible if the police would have held him, he would still be alive.”
Officers allege that Bryant and Sheppard had a minor altercation after a possible collision. The cyclist then apparently approached the driver and grabbed onto the vehicle, a Saab convertible with its roof down.
Bryant allegedly began to drive away with the cyclist still clinging to the side of his car.
Sheppard fell off some distance later and may have been run over.
He was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but succumbed to his wounds.
A memorial bicycle ride will be held Wednesday afternoon in Sheppard’s honour.
