THE Prince George Mounties who tasered an 11-year-old boy in April mistook a pen he was holding for a knife, according to a report by the West Vancouver Police Department.
In an open letter published Monday, WVPD Chief Constable Peter Lepine released details for the first time of the events leading up to the controversial encounter. According to the chief, the officers involved thought the boy was carrying a knife when he emerged from a home in which he had barricaded himself when he was actually holding a writing implement.
Lepine, who was tapped by the RCMP to oversee the investigation, reiterated that he felt the officers had done the right thing in the face of a dangerous and difficult situation. "Despite the understandable public reaction of shock, I not only deem the officers' actions to be appropriate to the situation, I deem them commendable for their commitment to devising and carrying out a rational plan to resolve a potentially deadly situation," he wrote.
The incident unfolded at about 5: 30 p.m. April 7 when members of the Prince George detachment were called to a home where the young suspect had reportedly stabbed a 37-year-old man.
En route to the scene, the officers were told the boy had run from the house to a trailer on the property where he had been seen drinking a bottle of wine and walking around with a knife. They were also informed that the child "was prone to extremely violent outbursts," that he was strong for his age, and that he would likely attack the officers if they approached him suddenly, according to Lepine.
When the officers arrived, the boy had gone back to the main house and barricaded himself inside. Witnesses told them there were knives as well as three dogs in the building with him. The stabbing victim was rushed to hospital.
"(The) officers immediately determined that forced entry of the residence was not a reasonable option, as it carried an extremely high risk to the safety of the boy, the officers and anyone else on the property," wrote Lepine. "Officers decided that negotiating with the boy to come out of the house would be the most effective and safest option to de-escalate and resolve the situation."
Over the next 40 minutes, the Mounties tried to coax the youth outside. During that time, they reported, he slashed his sweater with a knife, gestured at them with his middle finger and threw a bottle and a wine glass out the window. At one point, the boy cut the fly screen out of an upstairs window and leant out so far the officers were concerned he might fall, according to Lepine. They cut off communication at that point in an effort to encourage him to go back inside.
The boy later called for some of his personal effects, which the officers left on the porch for him. When he emerged to pick them up, he made the sign of the cross on his chest, an indication he would likely become violent, according to adults who knew him. He stepped out briefly a second time to post an illegible note on the porch.
When it became clear they weren't making any progress, and that the boy posed a threat to himself and to others, the officers decided to taser him the next time he appeared, said Lepine.
They drew the youth out by asking him to read the note he had posted, and when he stepped onto the porch, they stunned him, subdued him and took him to hospital, according to the report. "It was clear to me that the officers involved responded to a dynamic and potentially deadly incident in a measured, appropriate and professional manner, and that the level of force they planned for and ultimately used was commensurate with the overall threat presented," wrote Lepine.
The chief constable first published his decision not to recommend disciplinary action against the officers in September, but did not explain the details of the case or his reasons for exonerating them at the time, saying he had to clear it with other agencies conducting parallel inquiries. Monday's letter is the first time the public has had a glimpse into the specific circumstances around April's incident.
As has become common practice in recent years, the Prince George RCMP brought in a municipal force - in this case West Vancouver's - to investigate the tasering in order to reduce the perception of pro-Mountie bias on the part of the investigators.
For the full release, visit www.wvpd.ca.
jweldon@nsnews.com
