The 33-year-old cyclist latched onto the former politician's car and died after falling under the vehicle.
Penguin says 28 Seconds will look at the aftermath of that evening. Charges against Mr. Bryant were ultimately dropped after prosecutors concluded there was little chance of a conviction.
Evidence showed Mr. Sheppard had a history of aggressive behaviour with drivers and twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood at the time of the incident.
“There is an untold story within this tragedy, and I wanted to share that story. It's important to pass along lessons learned regarding our justice system. I'm ready to speak to these very personal issues,” Mr. Bryant said in a statement.
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Just after 5 p.m. today, more than a dozen cyclists blocked traffic on Bloor St., laying down their bikes at the spot where Sheppard died, chanting "murder."
The cyclists, mostly couriers, brought traffic in both directions to a standstill between Unviersity Ave. and Bay St. They also taunted motorists, yelling at them to turn around and give them space to mourn their friend.
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The incident
On the evening of August 31, 2009, Bryant and his wife were driving home in his Saab convertible after celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary. At one point, they passed a cyclist, Darcy Allan Sheppard, who was tossing garbage and holding up traffic by executing figure eights on his bike.[22] As they neared a pedestrian crossing Sheppard pulled in front of Bryant’s vehicle at a red light. According to Bryant his vehicle stalled when he stopped behind Sheppard. His car then lurched forward from his attempts to restart the vehicle which brought the car close to or in contact with Sheppard’s tire. Expert analysis of security camera footage confirmed the car’s headlights dimmed in a manner consistent with this explanation and that the vehicle had a “sensitive and light clutch”. The Crown also determined that no damage to the bicycle’s rear wheel rim was evident. Witnesses said that Sheppard confronted Bryant and his wife “loudly and aggressively” while they “remained passive.” The car’s next movement resulted in Sheppard ending up on the hood of the car. The car travelled 30 feet, lasted 2.5 second, the car’s speed was between 9 and 13.4 km/h and brakes were applied after 1 second. According to Bryant he was looking down trying to restart the vehicle and applied the brakes when he saw Sheppard on the hood. The crown determined that there was no evidence Sheppard was seriously injured at this point and there was not enough evidence to justify a separate charge based upon Bryant’s driving to this point.[23]
The fatality occurred when Bryant drove away and Sheppard grabbed hold of the side of the vehicle.[21][24][25] The car veered into the opposite lanes, Sheppard's body struck a fire hydrant knocking him off the car and his head hit the pavement.[22] There were witnesses who said it appeared Bryant had attempted to knock Sheppard off the car by striking him against trees and mailboxes. There were also witness reports that Sheppard reached into Bryant's convertible and grabbed Bryant or the steering wheel.[26][27] Bryant parked his car around the corner and called 911. Sheppard later died of his injuries in hospital.[1][28][29]
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D - doing figure 8s in traffic? Really? ...
Sounds like the matador found his bull. Or it found him.
