Officer shooting man in Thompson was reasonable and necessary: IIU

Manitoba’s police watchdog has concluded its investigation into an officer-involved shooting in Thompson last year, and determined that the officer’s decision to shoot the man was “reasonable, necessary and justified in law.”

The incident took place on Oct. 25, 2021, when an officer was on Princeton Drive to serve legal documents and encountered a man armed with a knife.

During this incident, the officer shot the man, who was taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

The Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) investigated, interviewing a witness officer, civilian witnesses, and the person who was shot.

The officer who was involved in the shooting declined an interview, but the IIU was able to review his notes, reports, and a prepared statement.

Some of the other documents obtained by the IIU include dispatch audio transmissions; medical reports for the person who was shot; video recordings; and reports and photos from the forensic identification service.

Once the investigation was complete, the IIU’s civilian director requested an expert opinion use of force report from an expert in this field.

In the final report on the incident, the civilian director concluded the officer’s decision to shoot the man was “necessary” to prevent injury or death to himself or anyone else.

The report said the officer was “doing his job and acting within his sworn duty to protect the public from threats to their safety,” adding that the officer did try to resolve the issue without using force.

The civilian director added the officer only decided to shoot his gun when all other attempts to negotiate failed, and “the risk of grievous bodily harm to him was real and substantial.”

The IIU’s investigation is now complete. The full report can be found online.