TORONTO - The father of the cyclist who died after a high-profile altercation with a motorist in downtown Toronto has arrived in the city to take his son's body back to Alberta for burial.
Darcy Allan Sheppard, 33, died after he was seen hanging onto the side of a convertible sports car Monday night, following an altercation with the driver. Witnesses said Sheppard slammed into a mail box before falling off the vehicle.
Allan Sheppard Sr. issued a statement Friday saying "the whole family is deeply saddened by the loss of their loved one, and believe that no person deserves to die in the circumstances that occurred."
Former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant was charged Tuesday with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death after the highly publicized incident that claimed the life of the bicycle courier.
Sheppard Sr. declined any further comment after issuing his statement late Friday through Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto.
"This matter is before the courts now, and we are relying on the justice system to sort out what occurred on the fatal night," he said.
There was no word on funeral arrangements.
Also Friday, the Ministry of the Attorney General made public the conditions Bryant agreed to when he was released Tuesday afternoon after being in police custody all night.
Bryant is not allowed to drive a car or any motor vehicle until the end of his trial.
He must remain in the province of Ontario, leave his passport with police and notify police of any change in address, employment or occupation.
Bryant, who was widely expected to run for leader of Ontario's Liberal party when Premier Dalton McGuinty resigns, quit his job as CEO of Invest Toronto in a statement issued Wednesday in which he also professed his innocence.
"Let me be clear: I am innocent of the very serious accusations made against me," Bryant said in Wednesday's statement.
He has not spoken publicly since that time and did not take questions from reporters when he was released by police.
There have been different and sometimes conflicting accounts of the events that led to the fatal encounter Monday night between Bryant and Sheppard.
Police say the bike courier grabbed onto a convertible sports car after some sort of altercation with the driver. The car sped off with Sheppard hanging on, say police, but he fell and suffered fatal injuries.
Bryant had been driving home with his wife, Susan Abramovitch, after celebrating their wedding anniversary.
Sheppard's girlfriend, Misty Bailey, said police had refused to take Sheppard home earlier that night when he showed up drunk at her door, but police say the cyclist showed no signs of intoxication.
Police say they are looking at the possibility that Sheppard may have grabbed the steering wheel as he was hanging onto the car.
The photographs and video images of Bryant sitting in the back of a police cruiser looking shocked were broadcast and published across the country.
Vancouver-based criminal lawyer Richard Peck will prosecute Bryant's case, and an out-of-province judge will also be recruited to preside over the trial to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest or special treatment.
Bryant once appointed judges and oversaw Crown prosecutors in Ontario, which has left the Ministry of the Attorney General treading carefully to avoid any suggestion of political interference.
The high-profile case, which has received national attention for a week, has already raised questions about whether Bryant received preferential treatment when he was released from police custody Tuesday without appearing before a judge.
Bryant is scheduled to make his first court appearance Oct. 19.
