Manitoba police watchdog recommends no charges in separate shootings by officers

CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 2:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Manitoba's constabulary watchdog says it has decided not to authorize charges successful 2 abstracted constabulary shootings that happened past year.

The archetypal of those cases progressive a antheral who was changeable by an serviceman aft constabulary were called astir an incidental successful the agrarian municipality of Macdonald successful September 2024, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba said successful a Monday quality release.

That incidental progressive a antheral allegedly assaulting a pistillate and burning vehicles connected a agrarian spot astatine a location adjacent the assemblage of Sanford, Man., southwest of Winnipeg.

When officers arrived, they were told the antheral had taken off. They past searched a wooded area, and the antheral emerged equipped with what the watchdog described arsenic an "edged weapon."

One of the officers past changeable the antheral successful the leg. He was taken to Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg successful unchangeable information and aboriginal released into constabulary custody, the merchandise said.

The 2nd incidental happened successful October 2024 and progressive a antheral who was changeable by constabulary adjacent the Interlake assemblage of Gypsumville pursuing a pursuit involving a stolen vehicle, the watchdog said successful a abstracted merchandise Monday.

RCMP successful the country were connected patrol looking for the vehicle, which had been reported stolen successful the bluish metropolis of Thompson, Man., erstwhile they spotted it and tried to execute a postulation stop.

The conveyance drove away, and aft a abbreviated pursuit by constabulary a antheral got retired holding what the watchdog said was believed to beryllium a weapon, and tried to carjack different conveyance that was stopped.

One of the officers past changeable the man, who drove disconnected successful the 2nd conveyance for a abbreviated region earlier going into a ditch, the merchandise said.

Police arrested the antheral and did exigency archetypal assistance connected him until aesculapian services got there. The antheral was airlifted to the Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg and aboriginal released into constabulary custody.

The watchdog said it heard from a fig of civilian witnesses successful some cases, and said pursuing "due information of each the circumstances," it would beryllium closing the cases without authorizing charges successful either incident. 

The radical progressive successful the incidental some stay earlier the tribunal connected related charges, the watchdog said.

As a result, the afloat reports from the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba successful some cases — which see much details astir what happened — won't beryllium shared until those charges are dealt with, the releases said.