By Canadian Press

No charges for Abbotsford, B.C., officer in 2020 shooting of suspect with beanbag gun

Jan 5, 2023 | 12:50 PM

VICTORIA — The BC Prosecution Service says no charges will be laid against an Abbotsford, B.C., police officer whose use of a beanbag shotgun during an arrest seriously injured a suspect.

A statement from the service says it is not able to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer committed any offence when the man was shot with the impact weapon in Chilliwack, B.C., in March 2020.

An investigation by B.C.’s police watchdog said there were reasonable grounds to believe the officer may have committed offences while using the less-lethal impact weapon and forwarded its report to the Crown for consideration of charges. 

The prosecution service said Thursday in a statement that the suspect had several outstanding warrants for vehicle thefts and attempting to evade arrest, so officers believed he posed a danger to police and the public.

The service says the officer fired eight times and hit the suspect with beanbags three times.

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It says the suspect fell two storeys from an apartment balcony after the last two shots, leaving him with a broken heel and wrist, but that there’s no evidence the bags’ impact contributed to his fall.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press