RCMP probing if stolen gun used to shoot teen was stored properly

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This article was published 30/10/2015 (3654 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba RCMP have yet to determine if a gun stolen from an officer’s vehicle — and later involved in a shooting that injured a 16-year-old Winnipeg teen early Saturday morning, Oct. 24 — was stored according to “strict policies” for firearms.

In a release issued Friday afternoon, RCMP ‘D’ Division chief superintendent Scott Kolody said all members of the force “must comply and adhere to the Firearms Act, Public Agents Firearm Regulations and RCMP policies that stipulate firearms are to be safely and securely stored.

“I can confirm that our policies and training make it clear that a duty firearm is to be secured and rendered inoperable when stored,” Kolody said. “Whether or not the firearm in this case was properly stored is a question that will be answered by the independent criminal investigation being carried out by the (Winnipeg Police Service). As to whether any criminal charges will result, is again a question to be answered by the WPS.”

Court documents have shown a gun belonging to a Manitoba RCMP sergeant was stolen from a marked police vehicle parked outside the officer’s home in southeast Winnipeg on the night of Oct. 24.

Police believe the stolen weapon was used later that night in a Windsor Park shooting. Calli Vanderaa was sitting in a parked car with friends around 12:30 a.m. Saturday when a man walked up and fired the gun through the window, striking her in the chest. The bullet missed her heart but punctured her lung and damaged her spleen and colon.

Winnipeg police say the teen was an innocent victim and charged two men, Matthew Wilfred McKay, 22, and Matthew Andrew Miles, 25, with numerous offences. They remain in custody.

Kolody said the department has been “deeply shaken by this tragedy, and we continue to hope she (Calli) makes a full recovery.”

“Our thoughts are with the victim and her family in this senseless crime,” he added. “What has happened is tragic, and I have personally conveyed those thoughts to her father. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the work of the first responders who cared for the young victim and for the Winnipeg Police Service investigators for bringing those responsible to justice.”

The officer whose firearm was stolen remains on duty pending the outcome of an independent investigation.

“However, I can assure you that once we receive the investigative report, we will carry out our own internal investigation, and if proper procedures were not followed, appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken,” Kolody added.

“While we do not yet know the full details and circumstances surrounding how the firearm was stolen, I have nonetheless directed all members of the RCMP in Manitoba to review our policies and to be highly cognizant of their responsibilities and the extreme importance for the proper handling, transportation and storage of RCMP firearms and intervention equipment at all times.”

In another development Friday, the independent investigation unit of Manitoba — a department of Manitoba Justice — said it would begin monitoring the Winnipeg Police Service investigation into the incident.

The independent unit investigates all serious incidents involving police officers in Manitoba, whether the incident occurred on- or off-duty.