The investigative unit that reviews serious incidents involving police in Manitoba has asked its Nova Scotia counterpart to lead the probe into last month's shooting involving police that left Haki Sefa dead north of Winnipeg.

Ron MacDonald, director of the Serious Incident Response Team in Nova Scotia, has been appointed as a temporary external civilian director to oversee the investigation of the Sept. 20 shooting near the intersection of Highway 59 and Kirkness Road.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) says it asked MacDonald to take over after Zane Tessler, the IIU's director, recused himself from the investigation.

Image | Zane Tessler

Caption: Zane Tessler, director of the Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) of Manitoba, has recused himself from the case involving Haki Sefa. (Pierre Verriere/CBC)

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Tessler had determined that he, as a Crown attorney, was involved in prosecuting Sefa in March 2011, the IIU said in a news release Monday.

"While involvement with the deceased was limited, Mr. Tessler concluded that the appointment of an outside director for this investigation is important to maintain the integrity of the IIU process," the unit's news release states in part.

Sefa was driving a van that was stopped by police late in the evening of Sept. 30. An "interaction" between the man and officers ended in police discharging their weapons and the man dying, according to the IIU.

The IIU has said a weapon that did not belong to police was found at the scene. Investigators have not yet said whether officers shot and killed Sefa.