A Winnipeg Police Service officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a 43-year-old man in a Colony Street apartment.
Back in February 2019, police responded to reports of an armed male breaking into suites. The investigation led officers to follow a male matching witness descriptions into a suite.
Both officers fired their tasers at the armed male with no effect. The male then assaulted one of the officers with a punch to the head. He grabbed the hammer and indicated he would use it on the officers.
Investigators say at that point one of the officers fired three shots from his service sidearm fatally wounding the male.
IIU investigators reviewed the officer’s notes on the incident along with interviewing five other police officers and seven civilian witnesses.
IIU Civilian Director Zane Tessler said that the use of lethal force by the officer was justified and unavoidable. In a statement, he said “His decision to shoot the man was necessary to prevent death or injury to himself and the other officer.”
Tessler also took the time to point out that the delay in finalizing the report was due in part to a 260-day delay in getting lab results back from the RCMP lab. He noted that it was “an inordinate delay and seriously hampered IIU in finalizing its investigation in a reasonable time.”
© News4.ca 2020
