An RCMP officer who shot and killed a man while responding to a driving complaint in Castlegar, B.C. three years ago has been criminally charged, officials announced Tuesday.
One count of manslaughter using a firearm was approved this week against Const. Jason Tait, the B.C. Prosecution Service said.
The shooting happened during an attempted traffic stop on Highway 3 back in January 2015, when Tait was a member of the RCMP's West Kootenay Traffic Unit.
The driver was taken to hospital but didn't survive the shooting.
Few other details about what happened have been made public. The incident triggered a response by the province's police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, which submitted a report to Crown counsel in December 2016.
It took another 16 months for prosecutors to approve a charge.
At the time of the shooting, the RCMP said officers had received a call about a possible drunk driver on the highway within the Castlegar city limits.
The force said an officer pulled a suspect over then opened fire at the vehicle. A reason was never given for his decision to use deadly force.
The IIO, which investigates every police-involved incident that results in death or serious injury, said it does not release details about its cases after deciding to forward a report to the Crown for potential charges.
Tait is scheduled to appear in Castlegar provincial court on April 30.
