No charges for Grand Forks RCMP officer who shot drunk driving suspect
An officer from the Grand Forks RCMP detachment will not face charges for shooting a suspected drunk driver during a tense confrontation four years ago, prosecutors announced Friday.
In explaining the decision, the B.C. Prosecution Service said the driver was accelerating his pickup truck toward police when the officer opened fire back in May 2018.
Three officers had tried boxing the driver in using separate RCMP vehicles, but the suspect "proceeded to ram his truck against” them in an effort to evade capture, the BCPS wrote in a summary of the incident.
One officer then positioned his cruiser "nose-to-nose" with the pickup and stepped out to make an arrest when the driver starting driving towards him again, prosecutors said.
The officer fired four shots, which struck the suspect in the shoulder and torso, leaving him in critical condition.
The suspect ultimately survived his injuries, and was later charged with assault with a weapon, impaired driving, dangerous driving and flight from police.
B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, investigated the incident and submitted a report to Crown counsel in October 2019, finding "reasonable grounds exist" to believe the officer involved in the shooting had committed an offence.
More than three years later, the prosecutors said they had reviewed the report and determined the evidence does not meet their charge assessment standards.
The IIO responded with a statement of its own Friday, pointing to "important evidence" that wasn't included in the BCPS summary of the case – namely, a video showing the officer's movements after leaving his cruiser.
The video raised questions about "whether (the officer) had in fact moved out of danger, and then moved back toward the (driver's) vehicle as it moved forward" before opening fire, according to the statement.
The IIO said the video challenges other evidence that was submitted about the officer's movements, and whether he had "objective grounds to fear for his life and safety or took advantage of a reasonable alternative means of escape" – but the watchdog accepted the Crown's position that it wasn't enough to support a prosecution.
The IIO rarely issues a proactive response to charging decisions from the BCPS, but said it wanted to do so Friday in the interest of transparency around its investigation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'