Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

CHARGES LAID

“There is so much more to it”: Head of Kamloops RCMP notes complexity of fatal hit-and-run investigation

Sep 30, 2020 | 3:39 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops’ top cop says there was good reason for the time it took to arrest and formally charge the man involved in a triple fatal accident last November.

Last week, police arrested 31-year-old Reid McKnight for his alleged involvement in a Nov. 3 car crash. In the early morning hours that day, McKnight’s pickup truck struck a Dodge Charger in the intersection of Battle Street and First Avenue. The collision killed three of the car’s occupants and injured a fourth. McKnight allegedly fled the scene.

Now, Reid McKnight faces a multitude of charges, including three counts of dangerous driving causing death, and careless storage of firearms. Nearly 11 months later, Superintendent Syd Lecky says he’s confident the charges will result in a conviction.

“Yes, it was a lengthy investigation but it was also complex. And you’ll see as the trial unfolds why that is. There is so much more to it than what people realize that goes into an investigation,” Lecky explains, noting that it was not a simple hit-and-run incident. “We had our top investigators involved and we were able to bring it through successfully to charge approval, and now we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

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The Battle Street fatalities were among a series of car accidents and pedestrian collisions around Kamloops that month. Police say they are aware of how traumatic the outcome was for the friends and families of the three young international students and TRU alumni who lost their lives.

“It was at a bad time here when we had a few collisions and fatalities, but by far it was the worst. We’re just glad we can hopefully get some resolution for the families.”

After being granted bail, Reid McKnight is scheduled to appear in a Kamloops provincial courtroom on October 22.