An RCMP officer has been charged with manslaughter in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred during a traffic stop in Castlegar more than three years ago.
Back in Jan. 2015, RCMP were notified of an impaired driver. They located 39-year old Waylon Edey, driving his pickup truck on Highway 3 near Castlegar.
According to court documents filed in a civil suit, Const. Jason Tait of the RCMP’s West Kootenay Traffic Unit stopped his police car on the highway ahead of Edey’s truck.
Tait stepped out of his car and motioned for Edey to stop, but Edey allegedly continued driving towards the officer, hitting the rear of the police car and then carrying on in Tait’s direction.
Tait shot once at Edey and the truck came to a stop.
Edey was rushed to hospital but did not survive.
The BC Prosecution Service says a charge of manslaughter using a firearm was approved Tuesday against Tait.
An RCMP spokeswoman says Tait is currently on paid administrative leave.
The prosecution service says the case was investigated by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), and Crown counsel reviewed the available evidence before the charge was laid.
The IIO probes all cases of police-involved serious injuries or death across B.C.
In a civil suit filed in 2016 against the officer, the provincial and federal governments, Edey’s mother claims her son was unarmed.
The suit alleges “the use of deadly force against the deceased was unwarranted in the circumstances.”
It goes on to say, “the death of the deceased was wrongful and was caused by the negligence or recklessness of the defendants.”
In their response, the defendants said Edey’s “use of the truck on Highway 3 constituted a risk to the safety of other users of the highway. In order to defend himself and members of the public from harm, the RCMP member was justified in defending himself.”
Tait is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Castlegar on April 30.
— With files from The Canadian Press