VANCOUVER – The sister of a man shot and killed by police at the end of a manhunt in Slocan, B.C., is suing the provincial and federal governments over the RCMP’s handling of the incident.
Peter de Groot died on Oct. 13, 2014, days after police said they went to investigate a dispute between neighbours and he fired a shot at them before running into the forest.
But the lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court by Dana de Groot alleges that police fired the first shots and officers caused or contributed to a chain of events that led to her brother’s death.
None of the allegations have been proven in court and representatives of the provincial and federal governments were not immediately available to comment.
WATCH: The grieving family of Peter De Groot make an emotional statement in Oct. 2014.
The statement of claim says de Groot was highly educated, but in 1997 suffered a brain aneurysm affecting his cognitive abilities, which could be misinterpreted by people not familiar with his condition.
It says the sister told police she could reach a peaceful resolution by calming her brother, but contends police said they would bring about the conclusion and then didn’t attempt to de-escalate the situation.
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