Winnipeg Police tight-lipped on details of shooting but union confident it was justified

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/05/2017 (3092 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police are remaining tight-lipped about what prompted an officer to shoot a man inside a popular downtown skywalk. But their union believes Monday’s chaotic, high-profile incident will ultimately prove to be a textbook example of upholding public safety.

“I’m confident our members acted in the manner in which they’re trained. I’m absolutely sure,” Winnipeg Police Association vice-president George Van Mackelberg told the Free Press Tuesday. “I’m sure they eliminated a threat to both themselves and the public.”

Yet Van Mackelberg admits the silence coming from police brass — whose headquarters are located in the same building as the noon-hour shooting — doesn’t necessarily help instil confidence, with so many questions swirling about what happened. He said holding back certain details at this point could cause some people to jump to unwarranted conclusions and hinder the reputation of the officer and the police service.

“I’m sure many people on the job, and off the job, think the same way,” he said. “Unfortunately, the service is (between) a bit of a rock and a hard place. I don’t believe anybody’s hiding anything. I don’t think the chief is being coy with anybody. It’s just that nobody can say anything.”

The Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) has taken over the investigation, which has led to Winnipeg police insisting they can’t release details beyond the initial confirmation from Chief Danny Smyth a man was shot by an officer at 12:20 p.m. Monday inside the skywalk at 266 Graham Ave. He was initially deemed to be in unstable condition, but a single sentence news release Tuesday morning indicated the man was stable.

Police have refused to answer other questions, including: how old was the man who was shot? Was he in possession of a weapon? Had he threatened anyone? What is the gender of the police officer who opened fire? How many shots were fired? Where the man was hit? How many years of experience does the officer have? Was the officer in uniform or plainclothes? Has the officer returned to active duty? How many members of the public were in the vicinity at the time? Is the shooting victim facing criminal charges? Is he known to police?

“I hoped we were very clear, both in (Monday’s) release, and (Tuesday’s) brief update on the condition of the male shot, we are not able to provide any additional information on this incident as it’s now with IIU. Not quite sure why you’re asking,” police Const. Rob Carver said Tuesday in response to a written request from the Free Press for information about some of the above questions.

The Free Press sent the same questions to the IIU. A spokeswoman later confirmed the man who was shot is 25 years old but provided no other details about him or what led up to the incident, saying all of that information “forms part of the IIU investigation.”

As for the current status of the officer, the IIU said “those are employment ‎matters and outside the mandate of IIU, so I have to refer you back to WPS on that one.”

A review of other recent police-involved shootings in Manitoba that went to the IIU shows police have released at least some details about the events leading up to the incident.

For example, RCMP issued a news release after a deadly November 2015 shooting of a motorist near Thompson in which they say an officer had tried to stop an “erratic” driver on the highway. Mounties said the officer tried to do a traffic stop, which led to a brief pursuit. The vehicle eventually stopped, and RCMP said the officer approached it, only to have the driver suddenly accelerate and hit the officer. The officer then fired his weapon, killing the driver and wounding a female passenger.

That month, Winnipeg police released some details after a 24-year-old man was shot and killed by at least two dozen police officers who had chased his vehicle into a field near the corner of Grant Avenue and Kenaston Boulevard. Although many of the same type of questions from Monday went unanswered — including whether the dead man had been armed — a police spokesman stressed the high number of police units responding to the incident was indicative of the urgency of the situation, based on information received by the department.

“The appropriate level of resources, police units, were dispatched and involved,” said Const. Jason Michalyshen. “We were obviously responding to a situation where we had significant concern. Officers were presented with an extreme situation. This is the worst-case scenario. No officer wakes up in the morning and wants to be involved in such an event. But there is always that possibility.”

As for Monday’s incident, police haven’t officially said a word about what prompted them to come into contact with the man. Some of those blanks have now been filled in by witnesses tracked down by media. Van Mackelberg also expanded a bit Tuesday when pressed, saying he believes the IIU review will be a favourable one for officers.

“He had an edged weapon, he went into a place where there were civilians. He was a threat, to the people there and the officers who tried to convince him to put it down,” he said. “We have one of the most regulated jobs in the country, as it should be. They had an inquiry here that deemed there needs to be an additional layer of oversight.”

The IIU was created in the wake of the Taman inquiry to remove any hint of favouritism when police agencies investigate misconduct or criminal allegations against their own officers. Crystal Taman was killed by off-duty Winnipeg police officer Derek Harvey-Zenk in a car crash in 2005. In a controversial plea deal, he was convicted of dangerous driving causing death. Other charges of refusing a breathalyzer, impaired driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death were stayed by the Crown. It was later revealed those charges were dropped because East St. Paul police botched the investigation.

The IIU now investigates all serious incidents involving police in Manitoba. The permanent unit, which is under the jurisdiction of Manitoba Justice, is made up of eight investigators and two investigative managers from various jurisdictions and backgrounds. It’s not known when they may conclude their investigation into Monday’s shooting and release their findings.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca