RCMP officers who shot and killed a prisoner in a November 2017 incident won’t face charges, according to the province’s police watchdog.
Manitoba’s Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) announced Friday that an investigation into the shooting – which included an expert in police use of force – concluded that the incident didn’t meet the charging standard of Manitoba Prosecution Services and that there wouldn’t be a reasonable likelihood of conviction.
The 2017 incident happened when an RCMP officer was driving a prisoner by van from Lundar to Winnipeg.
According to IIU, the prisoner assaulted the officer, who, in turn, shot the prisoner, but the prisoner managed to grab the gun and flee the scene in the unmarked police car.
After a search, RCMP found the man on Highway 68 near Lake Manitoba First Nation.
During the course of his arrest, which involved a lengthy pursuit, the man was shot by two RCMP officers and pronounced dead at the scene.
Although the IIU investigation recommended the officers not be charged, a further inquest into the death will take place under the Fatality Inquiries Act.
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