The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) is asking crown counsel to consider charges against three officers involved in the July 8, 2021 shooting of a Wetsa国际传媒檚uwetsa国际传媒檈n man in Campbell River.
A decision is pending regarding a fourth officer involved in the incident.
Jared Lowndes, 38, was killed in a police-involved incident in the parking lot of the Willow Point Tim Hortons in Campbell River. During the incident, a police dog was also killed and the dogsa国际传媒檚 RCMP handler was injured.
According to a press release from the IIO, at about 5:30 a.m. on July 8, 2021, an officer attempted to check a parked vehicle, a blue Audi. The Audi drove away and there was contact between it and the police vehicle. The officer did not pursue at the time but told other RCMP members of the incident.
Later, at 9 a.m., the police located the vehicle again. Officers stopped the Audi in the Tim Hortons drive thru.
sa国际传媒淒uring the interaction that followed, shots were fired by police, and the man was subsequently pronounced deceased,sa国际传媒� the release says.
The IIO is not releasing further details of the interaction, saying it could sa国际传媒減rejudice a potential prosecution.sa国际传媒�
However, IIO Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald determined that sa国际传媒渞easonable grounds exist to believe that three officers may have committed offences in relation to various uses of force.sa国际传媒�
The IIO is preparing a report to be submitted to BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges in the coming months.
From there, the BC Prosecution Service can approve charges if they are sa国际传媒渟atisfied that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO, and that prosecution be required in the public interest.sa国际传媒�
Lowndessa国际传媒� family and the Pivot Legal Society held a press conference in Vancouver at 4 p.m. after being informed of the IIOsa国际传媒檚 decision by Chief Civilian Director Ronald MacDonald.
sa国际传媒淭his is the beginning of a fight thatsa国际传媒檚 going to last a long time,sa国际传媒� said Laura Holland, Lowndessa国际传媒� mother at the conference. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 time to stop killing us. We are people too.sa国际传媒�
During the conference, Holland and supporters pledged to continue putting pressure on the crown in regards to this matter and future violence towards Indigenous, Black and other racialized groups in Canada.
sa国际传媒淚t is time for police officers to be held accountable for the unnecessary use of force that too often results in the death of Indigenous community members,sa国际传媒� said a release from Pivot. sa国际传媒淚n the 16 months since Jaredsa国际传媒檚 death, there have been 74 reported incidents of in-custody deaths in B.C. alone.sa国际传媒�
The , which comes out at the end of March each year, says sa国际传媒淚ndigenous Peoples are over-represented in IIO investigations,sa国际传媒� representing 28 per cent of people who self-identified their ethnicity, though Indigenous Peoples only represent six per cent of the provincesa国际传媒檚 population.
sa国际传媒淲e will not stop making noise until this racist system is reversed,sa国际传媒� said Meenakshi Mannoe from the Pivot Legal Society. sa国际传媒淭his IIO decision is not the same as Justice for Jaredsa国际传媒� but this brings us one step closer to denouncing this racist system.sa国际传媒�
In 2021-2022, there were 12 cases referred to crown counsel for consideration of charges. That number has risen from six in 2019-2020, to eight the following year to 12 this year.
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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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