Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Dylana Milobar

OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING

IIO report into 2018 Rose Hill shootout determines officers acted appropriately

May 8, 2019 | 9:49 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Independent Investigation Office of B.C has now released its report into an officer-involved shooting in a rural area of Kamloops last year.

Officers responded to an area about three kilometres past the Rose Hill subdivision on September 14, 2018, for a report of a suspicious and potentially impaired man near a camper.

After police arrived, there was a reported exchange of gunfire, which proved fatal for the man involved.

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Investigators found officers did not respond inappropriately with their self-defense approach to the suspect, and that the suspect’s violent reaction did not have any legitimate basis, given the words and actions of officers involved.

IIO Chief Civilian Director, Ron MacDonald says the IIO did not have any dash cam footage from either of the officer vehicles to contribute in the investigation.

“One of the vehicles had a dash cam, the other did not. It wasn’t fitted with one. And the one vehicle that did, it wasn’t operational,” He explains, “And while some people may ask questions about that, and that’s valid, we actually did expert research into that instrument and discovered that it had not been operational for over a week, since September 8th. So it was coincidence that in this occasion, it wasn’t working.”

Despite no police footage, MacDonald says evidence found the subject had initiated the shootout with police after he became agitated when RCMP officers approached the trailer he was in.

One of the officers told investigators the man had said, “‘You guys are in for it,’ something along the lines of that, and I do remember something like, ‘I’ll put you guys on the news,’ or, ‘I’m going to be on the news,'” before going back into the trailer and returning with a 12-gauge, pump action shotgun.

The distressed man then fired multiple shots at officers on scene.

MacDonald says the shootout ended after one of the officers made his way back to his vehicle, and used his carbine to return fire.

“There were many, many rounds shot by both parties. 11 by the individual, and over 40 in total by the police. Only one round struck him, however that was a lethal round and that brought the matter to a close.”

Witness officers saw the man fall into the grass, and after Emergency Response Team members arrived, it was determined he was dead.

While probing the scene afterward, IIO investigators discovered numerous live shotgun shells in the trailer, and also found a second shotgun. Both shotguns had been shortened, making them prohibited weapons.

The autopsy found the ultimate cause of death of the man was a gunshot wound to the head, and at the time, the man had been intoxicated with alcohol and methamphetamine.

The IIO report compared officer witness statements with forensic findings at the site, and MacDonald says the evidence found provides no grounds to consider charges against any officer.

“In this case, there are two groupings of other known evidence. One is forensic, or objective evidence which is completely consistent with what that officer had to say. And the other is there were two civilian witnesses,” MacDonald explains, “And they confirmed the material aspects of what occurred. In particular, at the end of the incident when they came, they observed the officers still in defensive positions behind their vehicles.”

To view the full report, click here.