N.B. RCMP asks for independent agency to review officers’ actions in shooting incident

The New Brunswick RCMP is asking for an independent agency to do a review of its members’ actions after a man in mental distress was shot in St. Stephen, N.B.

In a release, police said the incident took place on Sept. 16 in the early morning.

Members of the RCMP responded to a report of a person in mental distress with a weapon outside a home on Ross Avenue.

“When police arrived on the scene, they were confronted by a man armed with a machete,” RCMP said.

According to police, the man refused to drop the weapon when told to do so and went toward police. That’s when an RCMP member shot the individual.

The man was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound. No one else got injured.

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“Use of force is never an action taken lightly. … We are committed to being accountable and transparent to the communities we serve about police actions,” said Cpl. Hans Ouellette of the New Brunswick RCMP.

“That is why it is standard practice for the New Brunswick RCMP to seek an independent agency to review our actions when there are serious incidents involving our police officers,” he added.

The members involved in the incident have been offered support services, and have been placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of the review.