A Winnipeg police officer's decision to shoot Matthew Dumas was justified by police standards, a B.C. RCMP officer told the inquest Thursday.
Cpl. Gregg Gilles, who trains law enforcement officials on the proper use of force, told provincial court Judge Mary Curtis that the lethal shooting of Dumas fell within the RCMP's adopted protocol.
"It was consistent with the training and best practices of the RCMP," he said.
Donald Worme, the attorney representing the Dumas family, said Gilles' 22-page report and testimony was flawed because he relied solely on the statements of the other police officers in his assessment.
"What other conclusion could he arrive at?" he said. "He was led by the statements that he had at his disposal. That is the limitation his expert report suffers from."
The inquest is investigating the circumstances surrounding the Jan. 31, 2005 shooting death of Dumas in the city's North End.
Const. Dennis Gburek fired two shots that killed Dumas after the 18-year-old "lunged" toward him with a screwdriver.
Gilles said the action followed Canada's national use-of-force framework: Look at information relevant to the scene, assess the risks, and formulate a plan.
"In real-life situations, behaviour can change quickly and dynamically. The public needs to understand how people come to use force," he said.
Officers are taught not to allow an armed person to come within 7.6 metres (25 feet). Dumas was well within that range. Police are trained to respond with a level of force one step above the threat posed to them. In this case, a pistol would be the appropriate response to a sharp weapon such as a screwdriver.
"An officer who can't create any more distance has no other option than to use a firearm," Gilles said.
He also said it wouldn't have been proper protocol for Gburek to attempt to tackle Dumas or to turn away from him and flee. "Don't take your eyes off the subject, that is when the attack comes," he said.
He said police are trained to shoot a subject in their "centre mass."
"The goal of using a firearm is to incapacitate someone or to alter and change their behaviour," he said, adding that firing at an attacker's arms and legs is dangerous because accuracy in high-stress situations decreases and errant shots can hit others.
Judge Curtis said one purpose of the inquest is to prevent similar circumstances in the future.
She asked about the use of a Taser instead of a firearm.
"The response would still be to pull the pistol first because Tasers fail 20 per cent of the time," Gilles responded. "Tasers do present some value when time allows for that kind of response."
Instead, he said the province should develop scenario-based training to provide officers with first-hand experience before they enter crisis situations.
The inquest is expected to wrap up today with closing arguments.
paul.gackle@freepress.mb.ca
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