Thompson man in stable condition after police shooting

A Thompson man who was shot and seriously injured by a policeofficer on Monday afternoon is now in stable condition, RCMP said Tuesday, and a First Nations organization is raising questions about the use of force.

Police were serving legal documents at a home on Princeton Drive in the northern Manitoba city around 2:45 p.m. Monday when they encountered a 30-year-oldman who was allegedly armed with a knife, RCMP said in a news release issued later that day.

The encounter resulted in the officer shooting the man a member of a northern Manitoba First Nationrepresented by the Keewatin Tribal Council. Theincidentwas caught on video by a bystander.

The man who was shot was taken to hospital in Thompson with a serious injury.

RCMPSgt.Paul Manaigre said Tuesday he is in stable condition in hospital.

WATCH | Bystander caught the police shooting on video:

Warning disturbing video: Thompson man shot by police officer

3 years ago

Duration 0:13

Caution: This video might be distressing to some viewers. A Thompson RCMP officer shot a man and seriously injured him on Monday afternoon. Police say the man was armed with a knife.

The officer who fired the shot wasn't hurtand remains on duty, but is not on shift on Tuesday, Manaigre said.

The Independent Investigation Unitof Manitoba, which ismandated to investigateany injury caused by the discharge of a firearm by a police officer,is also investigating the shooting.

Witnesses or other individuals who have information or video footage that mightassist in the police watchdog'sinvestigation are asked to contact the IIU toll free at 1-844-667-6060.

'Uncalled for and unacceptable': tribal council

Keewatin Tribal Councilchairperson Eric Redhead, who is the chief of Shamattawa First Nation, watched the video of the incident numerous times, calling the shooting"very, very disturbing."

He says the tribal council has questions about the use of force and whether the man was a risk to the officer or the public.

After watching the video closely, Redhead says he doesn't see the man wielding a knife.

"With that video evidence, we think the officer's response is uncalled for and unacceptable. To shoot this individual literally at point blank range was incompetent and very dangerous for anyone attending that scene," Redhead said.

Even if the man was armed with a knife, the officer wouldn't be at risk unless he was close to the man, the chief said.

"Why didn't he use a baton? Most officers are equipped with Tasers, which would have been acceptable, in our opinion, in that response," Redhead said, adding that the man clearly needed mental health supports, which the officer should have been trained to provide.

"We're calling for justice for this individual and repercussions for the officer involved. It's really unacceptable."

Redhead also questions why the Mountie went to deliver the court documents on his own.

Not clearif man was armed: use of force expert

It's common for police officers to deliver court documents alone, said Steven Summerville, a former police officer and a use of force expert from Ajax, Ont.

However, most police officers would check a person's file to ensure they aren't dangerous prior to delivering the documents, the former Toronto cop said.

"In my experience, that would be prudent or best practice certainly throughout the country, just to have an idea what you're attending to," Summerville said.

"What I'd be looking for, as a former supervisor, is to see if that individual's been flagged for violence, or if there's anything I should be aware of, just to make the interview or the delivery of the documents safer for me and for you."

In that case, more than one officer would likely attend to the matter.

Summerville says it's not completely clear from the videos he's seen if the man who was shot was armed. If he was, physically restraining the man could have been very risky for the officer, who may not have been outfitted with a Taser.

Redhead isglad the bystander gotvideo of the incident unfolding so that authorities and advocates will have a better sense of what happened.

"Our people face these situations on adaily basis.... The only difference here is that it was being recorded, and the officer had no idea that it was occurring, so I think that played a big role in the officer's response."

Warning disturbing video: Thompson man in stable condition after police shooting

3 years ago

Duration 1:55

A Thompson man who was shot and seriously injured by a police officer on Monday afternoon is now in stable condition, RCMP said Tuesday, and a First Nations organization is raising questions about the use of force.