James Gamble's suicide not the fault of police, watchdog says

Police were not at fault in the deathof 19-year-old James Gamble, who committed suicide in February as officers surrounded his home in Timberlea, N.S., responding to a tip about plans for a mass shooting at the Halifax Shopping Centre, Nova Scotia's police watchdog says.

The RCMP/Halifax Regional Police unit that responded was"reasonable" in itsactions on Feb. 12,and "nothing they did in any way encouraged or assisted the male to take his life,"the province's independent Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) said in a newsreleaseFriday.

The report says the integrated unit received information that a male (Gamble)and a female were planning a mass shooting at the Halifax mall on Valentine's Day.

• James Gamble was bullied, says friend
• Who are 'the Columbiners'?

The officers staked out Gamble's home in Timberlea, and approached his parents as each left the home separately.

Each parent offered to go back and get Gamble to leave with them, but police declined because they thought it was too risky.

The parents said Gamble would co-operate if police called and asked to meet officers outside, so an investigator called and asked him to leave the house to meet the non-uniformed officers.

Gamble said he was coming outside.

"However, he actually remained in his bedroom and made the decision to end his life with a single gunshot to the head," thenews release from SiRTsaid. "He died immediately."

2 others accused

The release said the officer's goal was to get Gamble to leave the home safely. "As a result, there are no grounds to consider any charges against any police officer."

Two other people are accused of plotting mass murder at the shopping centre.

Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath, 23, and Randall Steven Shepherd, 21, are scheduled to learn their trial dates on Nov. 19.

Souvannarath and Shepherd were arrested just after she flew to Halifax from her Illinois home. They have been in jail ever since.

They are each charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson,
illegal possession of dangerous weapons and making a threat through social media.