Winnipeg officer's use of force in fatal shooting justified: police watchdog

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 5:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Manitoba's constabulary watchdog bureau is not recommending charges against a Winnipeg serviceman who changeable and killed a operator who pinned the serviceman with a stolen conveyance portion attempting to fly during a postulation stop.

In its last study connected the incident, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba — which investigates each superior matters involving police in the state — says its probe found the usage of lethal unit was justified. 

Although not named successful the report, CBC has antecedently identified the antheral changeable by constabulary arsenic Dustin Hatcher, a 39-year-old begetter of three. 

In November 2023, Hatcher and his spouse astatine the time, Carrie Blaydon, were successful a pickup motortruck parked successful a uncommon lane down Dalhousie Drive adjacent Pembina Highway, erstwhile they were approached by 2 officers, Blaydon told CBC successful a December 2023 interview. She said she was driving the conveyance erstwhile they were stopped.

In an interrogation with the constabulary watchdog, 1 of the officers said helium and his spouse were assigned to postulation work that nighttime erstwhile they came crossed the truck, which had a impermanent permit, according to the IIU's final report, completed successful February and published connected Wednesday.

A check found the motortruck matched the statement of 1 on a stolen vehicles list, truthful the officers followed it to a parking stall, wherever the officers pulled behind, investigators were told.

Both officers stepped retired of their vehicles and approached the pickup from antithetic sides. The serviceman who spoke with the investigative portion went to the beforehand rider seat, wherever Hatcher was sitting, and asked him to get retired of the vehicle. 

Pinned serviceman fired shots 

The serviceman who changeable Hatcher declined to beryllium interviewed by the investigative unit, but provided a connection and his notes, the IIU study said.

He said helium went to the driver's-side doorway of the pickup and stood between it and different vehicle. He knocked connected the model and asked the operator to get retired of the truck, according to the report.

After the pistillate got retired of the car, Hatcher slid to the driver's spot and grabbed the steering wheel, according to the officer's statement. The serviceman said helium heard the motor revving.

The serviceman tried to propulsion Hatcher from the conveyance and told him to stop, informing his partner that helium was readying to thrust away, but the pistillate pushed the officer, according to his statement.

The serviceman said helium heard the revving get louder and could consciousness the motortruck moving. He felt unit successful his hep country and was lifted disconnected the ground, arsenic the abstraction betwixt the 2 vehicles narrowed, his connection said.

Blaydon, who was besides interviewed by the IIU, told investigators she pushed backmost against the officer, preventing him from reaching Hatcher, astatine which constituent she could consciousness the serviceman down her getting pinned against the conveyance down him. She told investigators it was not the pickup truck that was pinning the serviceman against the different vehicle.

The officer's connection said he grabbed his gun and fired 2 shots astatine Hatcher, earlier the officer's assemblage went limp and helium fell to the ground, the IIU study says.

His connection says the adjacent happening helium remembers is looking up from the crushed and proceeding an motor revving successful the distance. He walked toward the truck, which had crashed into a fence, and saw Hatcher slumped implicit the steering wheel.

Hatcher was taken to Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre successful captious condition, wherever helium aboriginal died from the gunshot wounds, the IIU study said.

The IIU probe besides included interviews with 7 different civilian witnesses, successful summation to Blaydon, and two different officers. The investigative portion besides reviewed video footage, and determined that no different shots were fired aft the conveyance crashed into the fence. 

Bruce Sychuk, the unit's acting civilian director, called the decease a "tragic incident," but said the usage of lethal unit was justified, citing a conception of the Criminal Code dealing with the usage of specified force.

His study said determination are "no tenable grounds to enactment immoderate charges" against the officer, and that the IIU's probe connected the substance is closed.