RCMP investigator compares Don Dunphy case to 'battered wife who shot husband'
Sgt. Monty Henstridge now says that was 'probably not a good idea'
The RCMP officer who took a statement from Const. Joe Smyth after he shot a man at his home in Mitchells Brook compared the case to a "battered wife shooting her husband."
Sgt. Monty Henstridge said Friday it was one of the mistakes he made during his handling of the investigation.
Henstridge made the admission while continuing his testimony at a judicial inquiry into the Dunphy shooting.
During a discovery hearing with inquiry lawyers last year, Henstridge said he shared information with Smyth, a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer, "like he would with a battered wife who had shot her husband."
Under questioning Friday by the lawyer for Dunphy's daughter, Meghan Dunphy, Henstridge said that "probably wasn't a good example to use."
During an investigation information should stay in a silo.- Monty Henstridge
He said he made "numerous errors" while taking a statement from Smyth on April 6, 2015 — the day after the shooting.
"During an investigation information should stay in a silo because you don't know where an investigation may go," he said.
Henstridge testified Thursday that he regrets telling Smyth that he saved his own life by shooting Dunphy.
Smyth went to Dunphy's home in Mitchells Brook to speak with the 59-year-old about a tweet he sent that was flagged by then-premier Paul Davis's office as a potential concern.
He testified at the inquiry that he fired four times in self-defence after Dunphy pointed a 22-calibre rifle at him.
Dunphy's daughter, Meghan Dunphy, does not believe the officer's account of her father's death and has told the inquiry she quickly lost confidence in the police investigation into his April 2015 shooting death.
Davis, who is now an MHA and leader of the PC Party, also testified at the inquiry Friday, saying he knew nothing about the Dunphy tweets before the shooting.
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