‘Freedom or death’: No charges for police in fatal Keremeos shooting

A constabulary shooting that near 1 man dormant and a female injured astatine an unsanctioned campsite westbound of Keremeos, B.C., will not consequence successful charges.

B.C.’s constabulary watchdog said they investigated nan Sept. 13, 2022, incident betwixt constabulary and 2 squatters who lived and intended to dice by “freedom aliases death” ideology and concluded nan serviceman who utilized lethal unit did not do truthful extracurricular nan lawful execution of their duties.

“When applying lethal force, location besides must beryllium a threat of grievous bodily harm aliases death,” sounds nan study from Sandra Hentzen, nan interim main civilian head from nan Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

“In this case, (the personification shot) had a history of non-compliance, was equipped pinch a weapon and not listening to constabulary commands. Given each of nan considerations, it cannot beryllium said nan (officer’s) decisions to sprout nan (two people) were unreasonable successful nan circumstances.”

They added it was “unfortunate” that 1 personification died from his injuries.

In nan report, Hentzen  laid retired further penetration into some nan mindset of nan 2 group who were trying to evade constabulary seizure and nan specifications of nan incident that constabulary stayed comparatively mum astir successful its aftermath.

Hentzen said that it was 7:20 a.m. erstwhile nan Southeast District Emergency Response Team was called successful to assistance successful nan apprehension of 2 group who were wanted for not attending tribunal for “obstructing and assaulting police.”

In that earlier interaction, nan man, whose sanction is not included successful Hentzen’s report, allegedly punched a constabulary officer’s manus and yelled “freedom aliases death” and “you will person to sprout me.”

Police had received accusation that nan man and female were surviving successful a autobus successful a makeshift campsite connected Crown land. They held freeman connected nan onshore ideology and were self-described anarchists, Hentzen said.

With that successful mind, constabulary arrived astatine nan segment pinch a tactical armoured conveyance which they parked extracurricular nan bus. They announced their presence via loudspeaker astatine astir 7:20 a.m. and told them to time off nan autobus pinch their hands quiet because they were nether arrest.

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This carried connected for astir 17 minutes, and Hentzen said that successful a later interview, nan female told investigators they knew that they were successful a lawsuit of “freedom aliases death.”

By 7:37 a.m., an serviceman threw chemic state into nan bus, and nan man and female exited.

The woman, Hentzen said, was “snarling” and equipped pinch a “machete and a homemade cattle prod, which contained an electrical current.” The female later referred to it arsenic a homemade taser.

The man was seen carrying a semi-automatic gun, pinch a detachable mag successful his hand. It wasn’t until each was said and done that it became clear that it was a pellet gun.

Officers told nan man, complete nan loudspeaker, “If you don’t driblet nan gun, you tin get hurt, we don’t want to wounded you, you request to driblet nan gun.”

The female said later said that she was poised to inquire him, “Are we doing nan correct thing?” but earlier she verbalized it a changeable was fired and nan man “went down.”

As he  deed nan ground, nan female grabbed his weapon and faced nan armoured vehicle. She told nan constabulary watchdog her volition was to “get shot, to beryllium killed not to live” because it went against her belief strategy to termination herself.

She was changeable and deed nan ground.

The man died astatine nan segment from a thorax coiled and nan female was transported to infirmary pinch a gunshot coiled to her shoulder.

When interviewed by investigators, nan female said they were prepared to dice that time for their “freedom.”

“I wanted them to termination me… truthful they didn’t do a very bully occupation of that.”