IIO Clears Port Hardy Officer in Fatal Shooting (2015-098)
Case: 2015-098 Incident Date: July 8, 2015 Detachment: Port Hardy Location: Port Hardy Agency: RCMP Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Closed - With Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey – The Independent Investigations Office is issuing a public report today clearing a Port Hardy RCMP officer of a fatal shooting that took place on July 8, 2015.
Based on a review of all of the evidence collected during the course of the investigation and the law as it applies, the interim Chief Civilian Director of the IIO does not consider that any police officer may have committed an offence under any enactment and therefore the matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.
Background
On July 8, 2015, police responded to a complaint of a male (the affected person) who was armed with a knife and had made threatening comments to members of the public in Port Hardy. Police encountered the affected person at the junction of Island Highway and Granville Street in Port Hardy.
Two police officers exited their vehicles, multiple witnesses state that the affected person advanced on the officers with a knife in a manner described as “moving quickly”, “lunging towards” and as moving in a “full sprint.”
Officers issued repeated commands for the affected person to drop the knife but he failed to do so and was shot. The affected person was shot a total of five times and died at the scene. One officer shot the affected person and this officer is referred to as the “subject officer” throughout the public report.
Evidence examined in this investigation includes statements made by civilian witnesses, statements made by witness officers, medical evidence, ballistics reports, photographic evidence and police dispatch records.
The full public report can be found here.