RCMP justified in shooting woman with replica gun in Ucluelet: IIO

RCMP justified in shooting

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A BB gun made as a replica of a Walther PPK/S compact pistol was found near the woman as she was being treated by paramedics. DNA testing showed the pistol had been in the woman’s possession. Via Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

The IIO released a report on Friday detailing its justification for two RCMP officers shooting a woman, who was holding a replica gun, multiple times at a home in Ucluelet in 2021.

After an investigation, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. determined the officers were justified in the shootings and announced the decision in February 2023. The province’s civilian police watchdog agency delayed releasing the full public report until after related court proceedings had concluded.

Two officers responded to a 911 call on the afternoon of May 8, 2021, about a domestic dispute in the 600 block of Albert Road in Ucluelet. They were initially blocked from entering by a man, who was then arrested for obstruction and put in a police cruiser.

Once inside, officers located a woman in a bathroom behind a partially obstructed doorway. The officers forced open the bathroom door to confront the woman, who they saw holding a “realistic-looking replica handgun,” which they believed to be real.

She was ordered to drop the weapon, but didn’t comply. The officers retreated to the living room area, and the woman moved through the kitchen and into the living room, still holding the replica gun.

The two officers fired their weapons, and multiple bullets hit the woman, and she fell. The IIO report said it was not possible to determine which of the officers’ bullets struck the woman.

She was rushed to the hospital and survived, according to the report.

A BB gun made as a replica of a Walther PPK/S compact pistol was found near the woman as she was being treated by paramedics. DNA testing showed the pistol had been in the woman’s possession.

Forensic testing on the police officers’ guns showed one officer fired five shots and the other four.

One of the officers told IIO investigators that he saw the woman’s gun “fully extended” toward the other officer before both fired their weapons.

When the woman fell to the floor, officers called for paramedics and immediately started first aid, said the report. The officers tried to keep the woman awake until paramedics arrived.

The woman told the IIO in an interview that she had limited memory of the incident.

“I opened the door. The police officer yelled at me to get on the ground. I didn’t get on the ground, and I backed up to close the door. And I was shot. I remember the first three shots, and those ones were the ones that hit my tummy. And … I woke at the hospital,” the woman told investigators.

The woman told the IIO in its report that she didn’t have a weapon. She said she had been drinking and was intoxicated.

The IIO ultimately did not recommend charges to Crown Counsel against the police officers.

The agency said after collecting evidence and interviews with civilians and paramedics at the scene, the officers “faced a significant risk of imminent bodily harm or death, which justified their deployment of lethal force.”

The IIO said the officers were acting lawfully when they responded to the 911 call and entered the home. The reports said officers were aware of allegations that there was some sort of violent incident there and were justified in demanding entry.

The officers were also aware that if the woman was present in the home, she was in breach of an existing conditional release and was subject to arrest.

The IIO report said the woman reacted to the police by pointing what appeared to be a real firearm at them.

“In those circumstances, it is not surprising that both officers drew their pistols, shouting for the [woman] to drop the gun,” said the IIO report. “The [woman] did not drop the gun and instead ran into the living room still holding it.”