The family of Peter de Groot considers the RCMP shooting that ended his life in Slocan, B.C. this month an execution, and they are considering a civil lawsuit.
Speaking at an emotionally charged press conference in Vancouver Monday, Danna de Groot described her brother as a smart, well-read, physically vulnerable man who never exhibited violent tendencies.
“He travelled extensively, and he was very simply the most knowledgeable and intelligent person that I’ve ever known,” she said, holding back tears.
Dispelling what she described as a “ridiculous level of character defamation” against Peter, Danna denied reports that the 45-year-old suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, or had ever served in the military.
“He did not have a criminal record, he did not drink or smoke, he had never been arrested, he never did street drugs of any kind, he was not schizophrenic, he was never on anti-depressant drugs,” she said.
Peter, who tended to several animals at a small farm, did suffer an aneurysm more than 20 years ago and struggled with his mental and physical health since, Danna added.
The RCMP alleges Peter exchanged gunfire with officers who were responding to reports of a disturbance on Oct. 9, then fled into the woods.
His family believes the Mounties involved were heavy-handed, and may have unnecessarily escalated the situation leading up to the shootout.
“They drove up in three vehicles and created a blockade in front of his property,” Danna said.
“It’s our understanding that the police arrived at the property and opened fire at my brother, and he ran away. We consider any shots that he may have fired to have been in self-defence.”
Peter was located at a cabin and fatally shot by Emergency Response Team members five days later.
Danna said she learned about the manhunt on Oct. 10 and phoned an RCMP negotiator. She claims she offered to drive to Slocan from Metro Vancouver to help de-escalate a potential armed standoff, but was told to stay home.
“They had no interest in using me to resolve the situation,” she said.
“He’d be scared and in fear of his life and it would seem that he’s ganged up on. He would need someone on his side in order to calm him.”
Their brother Miles flew into B.C. from Toronto and the two of them headed to Slocan anyway, but Danna claims they were still kept out of the loop.
By the time RCMP informed the pair that Peter had been located in a cabin on Oct. 13, he was already dead.
“We were right there asking and he was executed instead of letting his family know he was found,” she said.
“Why was it too much trouble to get us to help to preserve the life of our vulnerable brother, and prevent this killing from happening?”
The family is being represented by lawyer Cameron Ward, who was previously involved in the inquest into the RCMP shooting death of retired soldier Greg Matters.
Ward said both cases suggest the RCMP lacks proper training and resources for dealing with standoffs involving suspects with mental health issues.
“It only makes sense to have a trusted person, a psychologist, a counsellor, a family members, speak to a person in that situation, even if it’s from a distance,” he said.
“For whatever reason the RCMP did not choose to take advantage of that opportunity.”
The RCMP didn't comment about the shooting Monday. It is currently being probed by B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigation Office.
