IIU clears WPS officers who fired shots at stolen truck in 2025 West End incident

Manitoba’s civilian police watchdog has decided not to authorize charges against Winnipeg Police Service officers who fired shots at a stolen pickup truck that drove toward them and later sparked a blaze.

Two officers were looking for a possible impaired driver when the incident happened on Home Street, between Portage and St. Matthews avenues, shortly before 6 p.m. on April 11, 2025.

“The officers made a split-second decision while their well-being could be in jeopardy after already watching the truck ram another vehicle,” Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba acting civilian director Bruce Sychuk said in a report Tuesday.

“Considering all the evidence available, I am of the opinion that the subject officers’ actions were reasonable in the circumstances.”

Home Street residents interviewed by the watchdog raised concerns because children were playing outside at the time. A house was hit by a bullet.

The IIU report said the officers positioned their cruiser across the street to prevent the Ford F250 from fleeing. The cruiser’s lights were flashing.

The officers, who declined to give interviews and instead gave statements to the IIU, told the watchdog they got out of the vehicle, drew their pistols and yelled at the truck’s driver to stop and exit, but he did not comply.

Investigators were told the truck reversed into a black car, occupied by a mother and children, at high speed before accelerating forward.

“(The officer) was terrified and believed that the driver was aiming the truck at him directly and would use it as a weapon,” the report said, referring to the officer’s statement.

“He felt trapped and did not have the ability to escape the path of the truck. Fearing for his, his partner’s and the public’s safety, he fired his gun to stop the threat.”

The officer said he surveyed the area prior to shooting and did not see any risk to any civilians if he fired his gun.

“He stated that the truck only veered away from striking the officers after they had discharged their pistols,” the report said. “He felt that his partner was still at serious risk of danger, even as the vehicle began to mount the boulevard.”

The second officer told the IIU his background “was clear” when he fired about eight shots, “taking aim at the driver because he feared for his life.”

Witnesses reported hearing the officers’ commands to the truck’s driver, and varying numbers of gunshots — from seven to 20. Some of the truck’s windows shattered, witnesses said.

The IIU said 16 gunshots were heard in less than four seconds in a witness video. Some of the shots were fired when the truck was on the boulevard and either parallel to or just passing the officers.

A witness was “extremely critical” of the officers who fired their guns because children were in the area, the IIU said. She was shocked bystanders weren’t injured.

The mother whose car was rammed by the truck told the IIU she thought the truck was going to hit the police cruiser until she heard the shots. She was shocked the officers decided to fire their guns because children and others were nearby, the report said.

An external use of force expert, retained by the IIU, concluded the officers’ decision to open fire “was reasonable, necessary and proportionate,” the IIU said.

“The author made it clear that it is reasonable for an officer to discharge their weapon for a brief period once the threat may have passed,” the report said. “He suggested that although the mind has decided the threat has passed, there is a delay to the motor skills to the same effect.”

After the driver fled, the truck collided with a different police cruiser and crashed into a house, which ignited. The home’s gas line was severed. The fuel tank in the truck’s bed exploded.

A resident of the home said an officer ushered her to safety.

At the time, police said the truck’s driver — a 48-year-old man — and passenger — a 29-year-old woman — were arrested. The woman was released without charge, WPS spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said Wednesday.

It was unclear if a criminal case involving the man was still before the courts.

A male who identified himself as the truck’s third occupant told the IIU he ducked in the front passenger seat when police fired what he believed to be eight or nine shots. He admitted to using meth before the interview.

“He stated that they were on the boulevard when the police started to shoot at them and the intent was to go around them, so they could flee the area,” the report said.

The IIU report said police were looking for the truck after two occupants were seen smoking a pipe in a Portage Avenue parking lot. Police were told a male occupant could hardly walk.

Earlier in the day, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to medical call for two people “passed out” in the truck in a Toronto Street back lane. A “crack pipe” was observed on the seat, the report said.

The pair refused medical assistance after being roused. They left with a nearby homeowner who gave a name and phone number to WFPS members in exchange for the keys. The WFPS crew left before police arrived.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca