Darin King has 'no authority' to remove RCMP from Dunphy case

Newfoundland and Labrador's justice and public safety minister says he can't remove RCMP from the investigation into Don Dunphy's shooting, even if he wants to.

After being pressured by the opposition in the House of Assembly Thursday, King said he wanted to make it clear he doesn't have the authority to get an outside police force to investigate the fatal shooting that happened Easter weekend in Mitchells Brook.

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"I have no mandate whatsoever to walk into an ongoing investigation and say to a police force that, 'I'm taking it from you and giving it to somebody else,'" King told reporters Thursday.

King acknowledges the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and RCMP have a professional relationship.

However, he reiterated he has confidence in the RCMP to investigate Dunphy's shooting death.

Dunphy was killed by a member of Premier Paul Davis's security detail inside his Mitchells Brook home on April 5. 

Since the 59-year-old was killed, there has been a flurry of reaction to the highly publicized and politicized case.

Still, King believes even if he could call on an independent force to investigate, it wouldn't necessarily be the best course of action.

"I don't believe for one minute that people in Newfoundland and Labrador want our province to turn into that kind of a situation where you have politicians dictating what the police investigate and what they don't and how they do it." 

Erin Breen, the lawyer representing the Dunphy family, has called for an outside agency to handle the case.

​While both NDP and Liberal parties call for an inquiry, King said a decision won't be made until the RCMP conclude its investigation.