VANCOUVER — The civilian body that investigates police-involved injuries and deaths in British Columbia says it will not seek charges against a Vancouver officer involved in a fatal shooting.
A report from the Independent Investigations Office says the shooting happened on April 9, 2015, as police were trying to arrest a knife-wielding man suspected of stabbing several people.
During the arrest, the 26-year-old Edmonton man was shot and died at the scene in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
The chief civilian director for the police watchdog has ruled the matter should not be referred to the Crown because an offence was not committed.
However, the director is forwarding a complaint to the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner over the time it took two of the officers involved in the case to write duty-to-account reports describing the shooting.
The Independent Investigations Office says the case appears to be an example of a pattern where Vancouver officers, members of the RCMP and police in two other municipal agencies haven't provided the necessary reports or notes outlining their part in a critical incident.
It says the reports can form vital evidence during an investigation and cites a Supreme Court of Canada decision that "police officers do have a duty to prepare accurate, detailed and comprehensive notes as soon as practicable."
The Office of the Police Complaints Commission has the power to hear issues regarding conduct of municipal officers and can impose penalties ranging from reprimands to suspensions or dismissal.
