The B.C. Prosecution Service has issued a follow-up statement explaining why no charges were laid against Salmon Arm police officers during a shooting on July 3, 2015.

The non-fatal shooting occurred when a suspect fled from police following an armed robbery in Sicamous and was later shot by an officer while he was hiding behind a residence in Canoe.

In this case, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), which investigates incidents where police officers fire a weapon, forwarded its report to the Prosecution Service to assess whether charges should be laid.

鈥淚n order to maintain confidence in the integrity of the criminal justice system, a Clear Statement explaining the reasons for not approving charges is made public鈥�,鈥� states a media release issued May 16.

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The 鈥淐lear Statement鈥� reads:

鈥淥n July 3, 2015 at 4:42 pm, Salmon Arm RCMP received a report that a male suspect had robbed a gas station in Sicamous brandishing what appeared to be a firearm. The suspect fled in a vehicle westbound on the Trans-Canada Highway (鈥淗wy 1鈥�), with one of the owners of the gas station pursuing him on a motorcycle.

鈥淔ollowing civilian reports, the RCMP attempted to set up containment using police vehicles near the intersection of Hwy 1 and Bernie Road. As the suspect drove back toward Hwy 1, he maneuvered his vehicle through the loose containment without striking any people or vehicles.

鈥淎s the suspect鈥檚 vehicle turned off Bernie Road westbound onto Hwy 1, one of the RCMP officers (鈥淪ubject Officer 1鈥�) fired a single shot at his vehicle, hitting nothing. The suspect fled westbound.

鈥淭he RCMP later located the vehicle he had been driving at a farm east of Salmon Arm. An officer (鈥淪ubject Officer 2鈥�) with a Police Service Dog (鈥淧SD鈥�) tracked the suspect to a dark storage room in the lower level of a disused barn.

鈥淭he PSD entered the room, followed by Subject Officer 2, who yelled commands to the suspect and to the PSD. At some point, the PSD seized the suspect鈥檚 thigh.

鈥淭he suspect swung a baseball bat, hitting Subject Officer 2 and Subject Officer 2鈥檚 firearm. Subject Officer 2 fired several shots, some of which struck the suspect.The suspect was treated in hospital, and survived his injuries.

鈥淎s a result of the injuries to the suspect, the IIO conducted an investigation into the actions of the officers who dealt with the suspect during the incident. At the conclusion of the investigation the IIO submitted a Report to Crown Counsel (鈥淩CC鈥�).

鈥淔ollowing a thorough review of the available evidence the BCPS has concluded that the evidence does not support approving any charges against the officers. The charge assessment was conducted by a Crown Counsel with no prior or current connection to the officers who were the subject of the IIO investigation鈥︹��

marthawickett@saobserver.net
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