RCMP continue to investigate fatal police shooting in Rothesay

ROTHESAY, N.B. – A fatal shooting on the weekend has brought attention to how uncommon it is for police to draw their guns in New Brunswick.

“When an officer draws a weapon it’s a last resort, and if it results in injury or death, that’s something the officer has to deal with for the rest of their life,” said New Brunswick Police Association representative Bob Davidson.

Rothesay Regional Police responded to a domestic dispute Friday night on Shipyard Road in Rothesay. When they arrived, the situation quickly turned violent, with reports that a man was wielding a knife.

After an attempt to use a taser failed, an officer drew his gun, and shot 26-year-old William David McCaffrey, a nursing student at the University of New Brunswick.

“When a police officer is involved in a shooting, an outside police force is usually called in to investigate,” RCMP Const. Damien Theriault said Saturday.

The RCMP will look at the tape from a camera one officer was wearing on his vest.

“There’s got to be total transparency on the facts, so that everybody understands exactly what happened,” said Davidson. “That’s why officers now, including Rothesay, are using the cameras on duty, because naturally, they speak very clearly to what events unfolded.”

Other people Global News spoke with said police had been called to the area before, however, RCMP would not comment on previous incidents.

McCaffrey was rushed to hospital in Saint John, where he died of his injuries. It’s the first time a civilian has been shot and killed by police in the town of Rothesay.