CTV BC: RCMP cleared in fatal shooting

[R. LaCasse]

-----
RCMP officers cleared in fatal shooting of B.C. military vet

CTV BC: RCMP cleared in fatal shooting

B.C.'s police watchdog has cleared Prince George RCMP officers of any
wrongdoing in the shooting death of Gregory Matters last fall.
Share:


The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, May 1, 2013 1:20PM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, May 1, 2013 5:56PM EDT
SURREY, B.C. -- British Columbia's police watchdog has ruled that four
RCMP officers acted appropriately when the attempted arrest of a
distraught former soldier ended in his death.

Independent Investigations Office director Richard Rosenthal has issued
his report into shooting death of Greg Matters on Sept. 10, 2012.

The 40-year-old veteran of the Bosnian conflict was killed at a rural
home near Prince George, B.C.

Independent Investigations Office director Richard Rosenthal speaks
about his report into the shooting death of Greg Matters at a press
conference in Surrey, B.C., Wednesday, May 1, 2013.

Matters' family, who has said Greg was suffering from post-traumatic
stress disorder, is bitterly disappointed by the decision, saying
serious questions remain. The family noted in a statement that they are
pursuing a complaint with the RCMP about what they say was a police
assault on Greg's mother that night when she tried to reach him.

Rosenthal's report details a two-day incident that began with a fight
between Matters and his brother, resulting in a police standoff at a
rural property and ending with shots fired as Matters became irrational
during what had been a calm surrender.

The report said Matters was shot as he raised an axe and charged toward
an officer who had just unsuccessfully tried to use a Taser to disarm
the veteran of the Bosnian conflict.

Rosenthal said although there are inconsistencies in the officers'
testimony, the differences don't appear to be an attempt to deceive.

"In order to conclude that the shooting officer may have committed an
offence, I would have to find that he may have used excessive (deadly)
force without the reasonable belief that it was necessary for the
preservation of another officer from death or grievous bodily harm,"
Rosenthal said in the report.

"Based on the evidence that I have reviewed, I am not able to reach that
conclusion."

Matters was a soldier for 15 years, his sister, Tracey, has said. He
left the Canadian Forces in 2009 and after he returned to his home town
in northern British Columbia, it became clear to those who loved him
that Matters was suffering from PTSD.

He began treatment at the Operational Stress Injury clinic in Vancouver,
one of nine across Canada funded by Veterans Affairs, about a year and a
half before his death.

Tracey Matters said her brother was making amazing progress.

"The Matters family appreciates that the IIO has a limited mandate,
which is to establish criminal culpability, but it is still disappointed
with many important aspects of the case," the family said in a statement
Wednesday.

The statement said the family is particularly concerned about the
treatment of Greg's mother, Lorraine Matters, that night, saying the
woman was given permission to speak to her son, but when she attempted
to reach him in the cabin where he was holed up, an officer pointed a
machine gun at her, caused her to fall to the ground and dragged her
along the road.

"The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and the
Matters family allege that Lorraine's treatment at the hands of the RCMP
is inextricably linked to the shooting of her son," the statement said.

"She was treated as an active threat by police, rather than as an ally
in negotiating a peaceful outcome."

The statement said the association is pursuing the incident through the
Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP.

The family also wants to know why Greg's psychiatrist was not allowed to
speak with him.

"All of the surrounding circumstances of this case demand urgent
investigation to determine the appropriateness and competence of the
RCMP in this matter and whether this tragedy could have been avoided,"
Micheal Vonn, of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said in a
statement.

In the hours before the fatal confrontation, Greg Matters sent a series
of emails to the local newspaper, the Prince George Citizen, that
mentioned his mental health struggles and his military service. He wrote
of a dispute with his brother at his mother's home on the weekend, and a
belief that RCMP were out to hurt him.

Matters' family was given the Memorial Cross award just two weeks ago in
recognition of soldiers whose deaths are linked to their military
service.

------------------------------
--
Triad Productions-Fantalla~EZine~ParaNovel
National Association of Assault Research
(http://mypage.uniserve.com/~vampire-inter/htmlconc.html)