Winnipeg Police Shoot and Kill Man (August 27, 2022)

Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) officers shot and killed a man in the early morning of August 27, 2022.  The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) reports that WPS officers were conducting a traffic check stop near the 1400 block of Portage Avenue at Empress Street at around 1:50 AM, when the driver of a 2021 Chevrolet Camaro SS failed to slow or stop and continued westbound on Portage Avenue. Polce used the WPS helicopter, Air 1, to track the vehicle near Bishop Grandin Boulevard. Two WPS officers went to the residence of the registered owner of the vehicle and were there when it pulled into the rear of the residence at approximately 2:12 AM.

Police claim that the driver of the vehicle stopped, exited the vehicle, and advanced towards them with a weapon. The two WPS officers fired their service weapons, striking the man several times. The victim was transported to Health Sciences Centre, where he died of his injuries.

None of the police claims have been publicly confirmed, including whether or not the man had a weapon or, if so, what the item consisted of. One witness has reported hearing as many as 10 shots.

Halifax Police Shoot and Kill Man (59) in Dartmouth (Aug. 27, 2022)

A Halifax Regional Police officer shot and killed a 59-year-old man in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on August 27, 2022. It os reported that police responded to a weapons complaint on Carleton Street at approximately 8:30 PM. Police claim a man with a firearm had barricaded himself inside a home and while attempting to arrest him a confrontation occurred and an officer shot him. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The province’s Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the killing. None of the police claims have been confirmed publicly.

Vancouver Police Kill Ojibway Man Chris Amyotte (August 22, 2022)

Vancouver police officers killed Chris Amyotte, an Ojibway man who was in distress in the morning of August 22, 2022, in the city’s Downtown Eastside. Mr. Amyotte was born on the Ditibineya-ziibiing (Rolling River) First Nation in southern Manitoba. He is survived by eight children. He had only been in Vancouver to visit family for less than a week before police killed him.

The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) report that Mr. Amyotte had stripped off his clothing and was screaming for help after being bear maced. Other witnesses report that he entered a convenience store for milk and was pouring milk on himself to treat the bear mace when police arrived. Police reportedly shot him multiple times with a beanbag gun and took him into custody. Mr. Amyotte went into medical distress and died on the street.

Witnesses have since said that Mr. Amyotte was pleading for help because of the macing. They also report telling police about the situation and explaining the cause of his actions. Police appear not to have taken any of that into account before deciding to act with violence.

VANDU is conducting a community investigation into the VPD killing of Mr. Amyotte. Information can be sent to tips@vandu.org. Some witnesses testimony has been published as part of a community statement.

Vancouver police have killed at least three people, two in the Downtown Eastside, so far this year.

Man in Crisis Allegedly Shoots Himself During Police Action in La Motte (Aug. 20, 2022)

The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) is investigating a 49-year-old man’s death with Sûreté du Québec (SQ provincial police) present on August 20, 2022, in La Motte. They report that around 5:05 PM, SQ officers were called to intervene in connection with “an individual who had made suicidal remarks.”

Upon arrival at the scene, officers reportedly located a man outside a residence and in possession of a long gun. The police engaged in some sort of interaction with the man, who then entered the house before coming out a few moments later and allegedly turning the weapon on himself. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The BEI have assigned five investigators to examine the death.

Policing is not health care and there have been numerous cases in Canada in which people have taken their own lives when police arrive instead of mental health supports.

Twenty-Eight-Year-Old Man Killed in Police Pursuit in Ottawa (August 16, 2022)

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating the death of a 28-year-old man in Ottawa on the night of August 16, 2022. They report that an Ontario Provincial Police officer was doing radar enforcement in the area of Highway 416 at around 10:42 PM and saw a vehicle allegedly traveling at a high speed. The officer undertook a pursuit and later located the vehicle after it had hit a pole on Dilworth Road. The man in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.

The SIU has assigned three investigators and one forensic investigator to examine the death. They have designated one subject official.

Windsor Police Shoot and Kill Allan Andkilde (70) Man (August 15, 2022)

A Windsor Police Service (WPS) officer shot and killed Allan Andkilde (70) on the afternoon of August 15, 2022. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) reports that at approximately 2:30 PM, police were called to the intersection of Wyandotte Street East and Ouellete Avenue in the city’s downtown regarding a man allegedly wielding a machete and threatening people.

Windsor Police Service officers located a man, and one officer deployed a Conducted Energy Weapon, while another officer shot him. Mr. Andkilde was transported to hospital, where he later died.

The SIU has appointed three investigators and three forensic investigators to examine the killing.

RCMP Shoot and Kill Man Near Kamloops (August 14/15, 2022)

RCMP shot and killed a man north of Walhachin near Kamloops in the early morning of August 15, 2022. The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) reports that at around 5:20 PM on August 14, police responded to a report regarding a man allegedly confining a woman and child. Another call reported a woman trying to get out of an erratically moving vehicle. A third call reported that the caller’s relative and a child had been abducted.

Members of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) were deployed, and located a vehicle on Deadman Vidette Road, about 14 kilometers from the Trans-Canada Highway. This was at around 9:00 PM. At approximately 3:00 AM in the morning of August 15, 2022, at least one officer shot the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police claim that the man was in possession of a weapon.

A woman was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. A child at the scene was uninjured.

None of the police claims have been confirmed publicly.

Toronto Police Shoot and Kill 42-Year-Old Man (August 13, 2022)

Toronto Police Service (TPS) officers shot and killed a 42-year-old man on the afternoon of August 13, 2022.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) reports that TPS officers responded to a 911 call at 2:30 PM regarding a woman being seriously injured near a residence on Midland Avenue near Kingston Road in Scarborough.

Police encountered a man, who they believed to be involved in injuring the woman, and who allegedly had a knife. They claim the man took hold of a young child and entered a residence.

Three officers then shot the man. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead at 3:24 PM. The woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries and the child was not physically injured.

The SIU has assigned three investigators and three forensic investigators to examine the case. Three subjects and four witness officers have been identified.

Alberta RCMP Shoot and Kill One Person, Injure Another, Near Saddle Lake Cree Nation (August 8, 2022)

Alberta RCMP shot two people, killing one and leaving the other in critical condition, in Smoky Lake (110 kilometers northeast of Edmonton) in the morning of August 8  2022.

It is reported that events leading to the shooting began around 7:30 AM, when officers were called to Saddle Lake Cree Nation regarding an alleged abduction.

RCMP claim that two people, one man and one woman, left the area in a red pickup truck. An hour and a half later they issued a warning on social media that they were pursuing a 1997 red Dodge pickup in the area of Smoky Lake, around 60 kilometers west of Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

RCMP say they located the truck at 10:20 AM, and put out another social media statement saying the two individuals were “no longer at large” at 11:00 AM, but offering no further details.

RCMP have only said that at some unspecified time some sort of unexplained “interaction occurred” and a “confrontation” that ended with both people being shot by police.

It has been reported that a 25-year-old man was taken to hospital with injuries that are consistent with gunshot wounds.

None of the police claims have been confirmed publicly.

Two People Killed in Abbotsford Police Chase (August 7, 2022)

A woman and a man were killed in a police chase by Abbotsford Police Department officers on August 7, 2022. The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) reports that at 3:02 PM, Abbotsford police spotted a car, a white 1991 Acura Integra, being driven in the area of Livingston Avenue and Maclure Road before losing sight of it. They believed the vehicle to be stolen.

Abbotsford police relocated the car at 4:11 PM and decided to engage in a pursuit. During the chase, the pursued car lost control and crashed in the 31000-block of Maclure Road.

A woman passenger died at the scene. The man alleged to be driving was taken to hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

Police chases are extremely dangerous and have resulted in many deaths in the Canadian context, including killings of pedestrians and uninvolved occupants of other vehicles.

Police should not be engaged in pursuits and departments know this full well. They should certainly never be engaged for alleged property crimes.