Officer who fatally shot Winnipeg man in 2020 tells inquest he had few options

A Winnipeg constabulary serviceman who changeable and killed a 22-year-old antheral 5 years agone believed helium had to use lethal unit after the antheral charged astatine him aft swinging a metallic bar, an inquest into the shooting heard Friday.

On April 18, 2020, Const. Cortney Olson fired multiple shots astatine Stewart Kevin Andrews as constabulary responded to a weapon telephone related to a robbery and breached windows successful the Maples country of northbound Winnipeg.

The shooting of Andrews, a young father, was the 3rd fatal constabulary brushwood involving an Indigenous idiosyncratic successful the metropolis implicit a 10-day period, after the deaths of 16-year-old Eishia Hudson and 36-year-old Jason Collins.

Manitoba's constabulary watchdog investigated the incident, but nary charges were laid.

An inquest into Andrews's decease was called, arsenic required nether Manitoba's Fatalities Inquiries Act whenever a idiosyncratic dies owed to a constabulary officer's on-duty usage of force.

Shortly aft the shooting, constabulary said the officers progressive were responding to a weapon telephone connected Adsum Drive adjacent Pipeline Road astir 4 a.m. connected April 18, 2020.

A nonmigratory who was putting retired his garbage said helium was confronted by 2 equipped males who helium said tried to rob him. The antheral said 1 of the assailants deed him doubly with a shovel, portion the different appeared to person a gun.

That idiosyncratic — a 16-year-old boy, who was safely taken into custody that greeting — aboriginal told constabulary the limb helium had was a BB gun, the constabulary watchdog's last report said.

On Friday, the third time of the inquest, Olson said helium and different serviceman responding to the telephone were led by a canine unit to a backmost lane, wherever they came astir a country and recovered Andrews and the 16-year-old boy.

While determination were tenable grounds to fishy the 2 had been progressive successful the robbery, Olson said helium wasn't 100 per cent sure. 

The officers identified themselves arsenic constabulary and told Andrews and the teen to stop. The teen fled, but Andrews stayed, and began swinging a metallic barroom successful an assertive manner, Olson said.

"The unit of the swings was large capable that you could perceive successful the aerial … that swoosh," helium told the inquest.

The officers told Andrews to driblet the barroom but Andrews yelled backmost astatine them, challenging the officers, said Olson.

"He said, 'Come on, travel here, get implicit here, travel on,'" helium said.

Andrews took 2 swings astatine Olson's spouse and the canine with the bar, but they were retired of reach, the serviceman said.

Andrews past switched his absorption toward him, moving person earlier charging astatine him, Olson said.

"When helium made up his caput … helium was coming afloat force," Olson said. "That's erstwhile that [fear] became real." 

He said helium stepped to the broadside and fired 5 times.

Pepper spray, stun gun not an option: Olson

Inquest assembly Dayna Steinfeld asked Olson if helium could person done thing otherwise to make region betwixt him and Andrews.

Olson told the inquest changing his position might person been possible, but his options were constricted erstwhile Andrews charged astatine him.

"We are looking for 2 suspects, perchance equipped with a firearm," helium said, referring to archetypal accusation constabulary had.

"If we backmost disconnected and present Mr. Andrews runs distant … we are perchance going to person much victims," helium said. "Maybe we [would] beryllium sitting present astatine the inquest of wherefore I didn't bash my job."

On the fig of shots, Olson told the inquest officers are trained to occurrence until there's a longer threat, aiming astatine the body's centre wide alternatively of limbs. 

WATCH | Winnipeg constabulary serviceman grilled during inquest into fatal 2020 shooting: 

Martin Pollock, the lawyer representing Andrews's family, suggested Andrews was swinging the tube to support himself from the dog.

He besides asked wherefore Olson didn't usage capsicum spray oregon a stun gun, but the serviceman said that wasn't an enactment nether the circumstances.

"Having that blunt-force entity successful his hands and him refusing to disarm himself limits the response," Olson told the inquest.

He besides said astatine the time, the different serviceman had a flashlight and the dog's leash in his hands, and truthful wasn't capable to alteration to an "intermediate weapon," similar a stun gun.

"So if I spell to an intermediate weapon, good present we don't person a usage of unit sum connected a antheral who's already equipped and has shown intent," Olson said. 

Asked by the inquest assembly if helium thought he could have done thing differently, Olson replied helium didn't deliberation so.

The inquest is expected to proceed Monday, with the different constable astatine the country scheduled to testify.