A2- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 9, 2003 hree probes surround | shooting of a local man By SARAH A. . ZIMMERMAN OUTSIDE RCMP invest- igators continue to probe the events leading up to a Terrace man being shot by local police officers March 28. The 55-year-old man, whose name is not being released because he has not been charged with anything, was shot after a confrontation with police at his Benner St. home. The incident began. at Caledonia Senior Second- ary School at 4:15 p.m. when a man allegedly ar- rived at the school in a distraught and irrational state looking for his daughter, police said. The suspect was alleg- edly uttering threats and assaulted someone at the school, police said. “It was an assault on one of the employees,” said Terrace RCMP Sgt. Jas. Basi_of the allegation. Since.the shooting in- valved lacal police offi- cers, all aspects of the case are being handled by outside investigators. “There will be a report going to Crown counsel and then they will make a recommendation as to Man wounded by a shotgun By SARAH A, ZIMMERMAN A TERRACE MAN shot by police more than a week ago was wounded with a shotgun, says a spokesman for his family. “The father was woun- ded on his right hand, upper left thigh and abdo- men and the only thing from the family’s under- standing was that a shot- gun was used that hit him in the thigh and it’s be- lieved that is what caused the wound in his abdomen as well,” says family spokesman Dave Bewick of the March 28 shooting. Damage to the man’s thigh and abdomen appear to be consistent with the type of damage shotgun pellets would produce, he says. . The man underwent surgery in Terrace prior to being airlifted to Prince George Regional Hospital. Bewick said doctors operated both on the man’s thigh and his abdomen, « It is unclear whether or not the wound to the man's hand is also the result of a shotgun shot or a handgun, “If they fired at his hand with a shotgun you would think that his hand would be severely da- maged and the wound to his hand is not major,” Bewick said. The time line that lead to the shooting began in the afteraoon when police were called to Caledonia -siotherapists: : - Senior Secondary about an assault allegation. They determined they needed to speak to the man and went to his Ben- ner St. home. Police say they heard screaming from within when the arrived shortly after 5 p.m. The man was in the house with his 14-year-old son at the time. Two officers forced their way into the home and say they were confron- ted by a man with what appeared to be an opera- tional stun gun. While police described the situation as the man “having control” of his son at the time, Bewick says his son did not at any time fear for his own safety. “Prior to the shooting the father believed that his family was threatened and somehow in danger,” Be- wick explains, , The electronic device in the man’s hand turned oul to be what is called a TENS, a tool used by phy- eeedbag “The best way to de- scribe it is to say it’s simi- lar to a TENS unit used in muscle conditioning,” Be- wick says, adding the unit is about the same size as a Palm Pilot. “What he had it for and what he used it for, I don’t know.” The unit does not make any sort of sounds such as snapping, crackling or what charges are appropri- ate,” Prince George-based major crime investigator Staff Sgt. Jack Henzie said. He said charges may also stem from the inci- dent which followed at the man’s home which led to his eventual shooting. _Henzie’s unit is also conducting an internal in- vestigation into the entire event from the time the man allegedly arrived at the school to when he was shot less than an hour later, The results of that in- vestigation are then sent to an independent reviewing officer who ensures that proper RCMP procedures were followed throughout the incident. Part of that investiga- tion also looks into. the specific . circumstances surrounding the shooting to ensure the ‘type of. force _used by the officers fails. under the protocol of the RCMP. “If the internal invest- igation reveals that there is any sort of criminality involved with the shooting then a report would be for- warded to Crown,” Henzie says. THIS [S a TENS device, used by physiotherap- ists. A local man shot by police was holding one similar to this at the time, says his family. buzzing, ‘not does it emit sparks or arcing of any sort, he said. Police unsuccessfully tried to subdue the man at the home by using pepper spray and a baton, The man, with two offi- cers in pursuil, then ran from police down a steep embankment at the: foot of Benner St. Police say the man, still holding the device, stopped, turned, confronted and started toward the offi- cers. It was then that one of- ficers fired two warning shots into the ground. When that didn’t stop the man, he was wounded by two shots fired by the second officer, police say. wee = Look & FEEL SES 33° YouR Best THIS SPRING! - S — BODY WRAPS - | Monarch CABLESYSTEMS LTD. [f@s]| na uw The man who was shot by police continues to re- cuperale at Prince George Regional Hospital. His farnily is at a loss to explain his behaviour the day of the shooting. Family spokesman, Dave Bewick says his be- haviour was completely — out of character and he ap- parently believed there was some sort of threat to his family in the time leading up to the shooting. The man has no history of mental illness but since his- hospitalization he has been visited by psychiatr- ists, Bewick says. “It's been very difficult for them,” he says of the man’s wife and two teen- aged children. “I think one could say they are doing as well as can be expec- ted.” The man is in stable and fair condition and was in ‘telephone contact with his family throughout the last week, His wife and children also made the trip to Prince George over the weekend to visit him for the first time since the shooting. Bewick added the fami- ly has received an out- pouring of support from friends in Terrace. SNDS is offering assistance for youth to participate in sports, recreation and fine arts in Urban Terrace. “Our objective is to provide opportunities for mental, physical, emotional and spiritual (life balance) growth of Aboriginal youth.” FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT ARNIE Congratulations to Jason Adams... the lucky winner of CFNR’s Vancouver Canuck Promotion! Jason has won: + Two tickets to a Vancouver Game vs, L.A. Kings, courtesy of Northern motor Inn * Return Airfare to Vancouver, courtesy of Hawkair * Two Canucks Jersey's Nasland & Bertuzzi, courtesy of CFNR * Two night accomodations at the Sheraton Wail Centre, courtesy of Sheraton Wall Centre. Enjoy the hocke y game at General Motors Place! 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