Family of man killed by police waits for explanation

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This article was published 06/12/2022 (1067 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Grieving relatives of a man fatally shot by Winnipeg police are waiting for answers about what happened, after being given limited details by investigators and speaking to a witness.

An officer shot Jonathon Herntier, 38, after police stopped a car at Portage Avenue and Bourkevale Drive at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Neither police nor Manitoba’s watchdog, the Independent Investigation Unit, has explained why the officer opened fire.

Herntier’s family is hoping to get more information soon from the IIU, which is mandated to investigate incidents where someone is killed or injured by police in Manitoba.

“They haven’t told me anything yet other than he was shot twice and killed by police,” his sister Tanya wrote in a text message to the Free Press.

Herntier, an alleged drug trafficker, was one of four people charged in a $1.5-million drug and gun bust in Winnipeg in August 2021.

On Saturday night, police were attempting to arrest Herntier, who was wanted on warrants, the IIU said in a news release.

He was observed driving away when officers went to a residence to arrest him, the watchdog said.

A “use of force encounter” occurred when police stopped the car at Portage and Bourkevale, resulting in an officer firing his service firearm, the agency said.

A source described the traffic stop as “high risk.”

Officers gave emergency medical care to Herntier at the scene, said police.

He was pronounced dead after being taken to Health Sciences Centre in critical condition.

His sister said a woman who heard gunshots and witnessed Herntier being pulled out of the car in the aftermath contacted her on social media.

Tanya Herntier said the witness, who lives next to the scene, was disturbed by what she saw while watching from an apartment window.

“She said she heard three shots, so I wonder why so many shots?” his sister wrote in a message.

She wants to know more about what led up to the police-involved shooting.

She described her brother, who was a father, as a “good guy with many friends.”

In and out of jail over the years, he didn’t get the help he needed while going through the justice system, according to his family.

“He had a drug addiction his whole life. He wanted help for it,” his sister wrote. “Jails do not offer the proper addiction treatment, and he knew that and spoke about this to the media before as well.”

Herntier was charged with 56 offences — mostly related to drugs and firearms — after police raided two homes and a Pembina Highway hotel room last year.

Officers seized $1.5 million in illicit drugs, including almost 18 kilograms of methamphetamine, 8.5 kilos of Xanax pills and several guns.

Herntier’s charges were still before the courts, according to records.

His previous convictions include multiple counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

In 2019, he was sentenced to 435 days spent in pre-trial custody plus an extra 177 days in jail.

Witnesses or anyone with information or video footage of Saturday’s shooting is asked to call the IIU at 1-844-667-6060.

There have been six officer-involved shootings in Winnipeg this year. Three have been fatal.

A man carrying a weapon was fatally shot by police outside a home in Windsor Park on Aug. 27, according to the IIU.

On June 17, an officer shot and killed a man who approached a cruiser with a knife during a traffic stop at Salter Street and Mountain Avenue.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching