Winnipeg man, 30, shot by RCMP south of Portage la Prairie
Kelly Malone | CBC News | Posted: May 19, 2016 5:09 PM | Last Updated: May 20, 2016
Man recovering from non-life threatening injuries
A 30-year-old Winnipeg man was airlifted to hospital after being shot by Manitoba RCMP on Thursday.
Portage la Prairie RCMP received reports of an erratic driver at 10 a.m. CT and the responding officer arrived within minutes.
RCMP said the suspect vehicle refused to pull over and after a short pursuit, the officer used his vehicle to stop the suspect's car.
"During the interaction between the suspect and the officer, the officer discharged his service firearm," Sgt. Bert Paquet said.
"We know that the victim was shot. I don't know if he suffered any other injuries as a result of the collision between the vehicles involved."
The moments leading up to the shooting are now being investigated by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU), which probes all serious incidents involving police.
From its preliminary information, the IIU said the suspect was driving his car through fields and ditches, which is why officers were called.
Once the pursuit ended, he got out of his car, and was armed with a gun, the IIU said.
"The fact that we did recover a firearm from the suspect vehicle tends to explain somehow how the scenario unfolded," Paquet said.
The man was brought to hospital by STARS Air Ambulance with non-life threatening injuries. Charges have not yet been laid. RCMP would not say how many shots were fired.
Paquet said the investigation will take some time but the RCMP will be providing supports for the officer involved.
"This is a worst case scenario for any of us starting a shift," Paquet said. "You do not expect to use your firearm, it's always the last thing you want to do, but there is some situations that just dictate a response like this."
As a result of the investigation, a section of the Trans-Canada Highway, just south of the city near the intersection with Highway 240, was blocked to traffic.
Portage la Prairie is about 70 kilometres west of Winnipeg.