Fatal Police Shooting in Corner Brook

Please see the below statement by RNC Chief Joe Boland

(St. John’s) November 28, 2018 – “On Tuesday evening, just after 11:30pm, Patrol Officers in Corner Brook responded to a residence on Carriage Lane in response to a criminal complaint. A short time after arriving, a confrontation is believed to have occurred between the officers and the man who was the subject of the complaint that resulted in one of the responding officers discharging his sidearm.

The man, who we are not identifying at this time, was conveyed to Western Memorial Regional Hospital where he was pronounced deceased at approximately 12:30am.

This morning, shortly after the incident, I contacted the department of Justice and Public Safety and requested that they engage an outside agency to conduct an independent investigation into this shooting. I have been advised that Ontario Provincial Police will conduct this investigation, which will be reviewed, once complete, by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.

It is critical for the officer, the family of the victim, and the community, that a fair, transparent, and thorough investigation takes place. The RNC will co-operate fully with the OPP and ASIRT during this investigation. The RNC will also complete its own internal review of this incident.

An Autopsy is expected to be completed tomorrow in St. John’s by the Chief Medical Examiner.

I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the family of the man who was involved in this tragic incident.

I would also like to state that I have deployed our Employee Assistance Program coordinator to the Corner Brook Region from St. John’s and he is on site now and will be able to better support the RNC officers and staff who were affected by this incident. He will also be able to assess what supports may be needed by others involved including the family of the victim.

I have the utmost confidence in the training and abilities of my officers, and  I want to be clear that an outside agency is brought in in all instances where an on-duty RNC officer is involved in incident that results in the serious injury or death of an individual. It is important that we allow investigators to conduct a thorough, fair, and objective investigation for all those involved including the officer, the victim’s family, and the community.

Incidents of this nature can have long lasting effects on all of those involved. I ask the community to have faith in our abilities and to have patience as we work with the OPP and ASIRT to find answers following this very tragic event.

Both of the officers who were involved in this incident are presently on leave and will be assigned to administrative duties upon their return to work while the investigation by the OPP is ongoing. Placing an officer on leave or administrative duties should not be taken as a sign that the police service believes that the officer did anything wrong. Regardless of the circumstances, any officer in the same situation would be placed on leave and assigned to administrative duties.  The Mental Health and wellbeing of our officers and staff is paramount and the RNC is committed to ensuring that the officers involved receive whatever supports they need throughout this process.”

-30-

Cst. Geoffrey G. Higdon #819
Media Relations / Social Media Officer
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
1 Fort Townshend, St. John’s, NL, A1C-2G2
Twitter: @RNC_PoliceNL
Facebook: RoyalNewfoundlandConstabulary
709-729-8658