A Kelowna police officer involved in a shooting last January will not face any disciplinary action, according to The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIOBC).
IIOBC chief civilian director Ronald MacDonald said the incident occurred on Jan. 23, 2019 when an officer and Emergency Response Team (ERT) members attempted to arrest the individual in a commercial parking lot in Kelowna.
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During the incident, the suspect was driving a stolen Chevrolet Tahoe pick-up truck and was being tracked by another surveillance team. After authorities failed to stop the vehicle, the suspect fled the scene in the vehicle at high speed.
After ERT members tracked the vehicle to a mall and learned that the suspect was in a nearby taxi, they attempted to mobilize the taxi by blocking the vehicle with their cars.
After the individual fled the taxi, he stole a Dodge automobile left running in a nearby alley.
At that time, the individual knew he was being chased by the involved police officer and accelerated the Dodge quickly backwards by putting it into reverse.
According to the IIOBC, an officer thinking the suspect was going to drive into the ERT fired six rounds from his gun into the Dodge from a downward trajectory.
The individual was hit with two different bullets, one of which went through his arm and the other through his hip. Shortly after, the suspect was removed from the Dodge and arrested.
During the investigation, MacDonald said there were multiple reasons why charges against the police officer would not be considered.
“Overall, this was a dynamic and dangerous situation, created by the action of AP (affected person) fleeing on foot and then using the car he stole as a weapon,” said MacDonald.
“I do not consider that there are reasonable grounds to believe that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment and therefore the matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.”
During the investigation, statements from the officer, 30 civilian witnesses, 19 witness police officers and 9-1-1 line and police dispatch audio recordings were used to investigate the incident.
To view the full report, you can visit the IIOBC’s website.
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connor.trembley@kelownacapnews.com
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