Police Watchdog in Manitoba has said that no charges will be preferred against officers who responded to a domestic altercation last April leading to the death of a man, 36.
Jason Collin’s death was one of three fatalities involving an indigenous individual in a span of 10 days. It is the second time that Manitoba’s investigating unit has said no charges will be brought against any of the officers involved.
Based on the watchdog’s report, released last Wednesday, officers who responded to the altercation reached the address on Anderson Avenue at around 4:30 a.m., on the 9th of April.
They heard a woman call for help and they forced their way into the home.
Inside, they found a man holding a gun. The police did not immediately identify the man, but the later family said he was a Jason Collins.
The officer withdrew and began negotiating with the man from outside. He walked out, with the gun in hand, and pointed it at the officers. The report notes that the officer shot at the Collins, hitting hit thrice.
He was rushed to a local health facility where he died upon arrival.
Police later realized that the weapon he was brandishing was an air gun.
Zane Tessler, the Independent investigation Unit director, said that the material and evidence collected supports the officers’ account, noting that the air gun appears to be a lethal weapon.
Shortly after his demise, the mother and daughter held a vigil in his memory noting that he was such a loving father and husband.
Last year, the investigative unit posted a report on the 8th of April involving the shooting of 16-year-old Eishia Hudson after a robbery at a liquor store that culminated in a high-speed chase. The body said no charge would be preferred against the officers involved.
This led to various interested parties questioning the watchdog’s capacity to hold officers to account.
