Police watchdog clears RCMP of wrongdoing in shooting of suspect in Salmon Arm
On Jan. 30, 2017 a man was shot by an officer while trying to flee the Xcalibur Car Wash in Salmon Arm
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has cleared the RCMP of any wrongdoing in the shooting of a suspect in Salmon Arm last year.
According to the public report released Monday, three officers responded to a call that someone was breaking into a coin box of the Xcalibur Car Wash on Tenth Avenue around 12:18 a.m. PT on Monday, Jan. 30, 2017.
When officers arrived, the unnamed suspect got back into his pickup truck and tried to flee.
The IIO says one of the officers shot at the suspect 's truck 14 times before the suspect's vehicle stopped.The suspect was taken to hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, including at least one to the head.
According to a use-of-force expert cited in the report, the officer who shot the suspect acted quickly to protect his fellow officer from harm.
Although the officer involved in the shooting did not provide a statement or notes — as is his right under the Memorandum of Understanding between the IIO and B.C. Police Forces — the IIO found the officer did not use excessive force during the arrest.
Kaymen Winter is not named in the report, although his family alleges he was the one shot by police. The 22-year-old has already appeared in court to face 24 criminal charges for another incident in Salmon Arm on the same day.
The IIO says it cannot confirm the identity of any persons involved in the investigation.
"We believe that you can convey the incident itself and the summary of the incident without identifying the individuals," said Marten Youssef, a spokesperson for B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office.
"We also consult with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner to enure that our reports are comprehensive and substantive without identifying any of the individuals' names."