A Campbell River police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting death last year of a man who robbed a sporting goods store.
In April 2022, police responded to a report of a man stealing knives and a pellet pistol from the store. According to a report from the Independent Investigations Office, the man pointed the pistol at police when they found him in a nearby motel parking lot.
The officer shot at the man three times and was able to subdue him. Paramedics and police found no wounds and cleared him to be taken into custody, but after collapsing in the back of the cruiser he was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. A bullet wound was found under his belt that had been overlooked.
“Officers cannot be faulted for not locating that wound, given that responding paramedics also failed to find it,” says the report. “It was discovered that he had been wounded by a bullet that had passed through his leather belt and the waistband of his pants, which had closed and concealed the wound and limited bleeding from it. No blood was found in the police vehicle in which [the suspect] had been seated.”
The report also pointed out the pellet pistol has a muzzle diameter greater than a typical pellet gun, giving the impression of a full-calibre firearm.
“When [the suspect] ran at him pointing what would have appeared exactly like a full-power firearm, [the officer] was entitled to respond as if to a lethal threat,” it says.
The investigation found the officer showed restraint and was justified in using lethal force, and no charges will be considered.
