Halifax police officers who shot man armed with bow and arrow cleared of wrongdoing
Two Halifax police officers who fatally shot a man who pointed a fully drawn bow and arrow at them have been cleared of any wrongdoing by Nova Scotia's police watchdog.
The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) released a report Thursday that concluded the two Halifax Regional Police officers were defending themselves and others from a perceived threat when they both fired their guns on May 27, hitting the suspect in the upper body.
The independent agency says the officers, both members of an emergency response team, had been dispatched at 9 a.m. to Maybank Park, in Dartmouth, where they and other officers repeatedly told the man to drop the weapon.
The report says the suspect, who had struggled with mental illness and homelessness, was in a gravel parking lot near two parks with baseball diamonds and soccer fields as families were showing up on a Saturday morning.
"There were people playing at the soccer fields and a big event was being held at a nearby elementary school," the report says.
The first officer on the scene told SIRT investigators that as he approached in his vehicle, the man pointed the bow and arrow directly at him then withdrew. During his interaction with police, the man spent most of his time shielding himself behind a vehicle as he held the bow and arrow, the report says.
SIRT investigators learned that police at the scene had a so-called pepper-ball launcher and an ARWEN 37, both of which are weapons used to fire less-lethal projectiles. Officers at the scene discussed using these weapons to subdue the man, but that option was complicated by the suspect's covered position, the report says.
One witness told SIRT that when more police vehicles arrived, and officers repeatedly asked the man to drop the weapon, he did not respond.
"(The witness) noticed that police made multiple similar commands, but the (man) did not respond and had a smile on his face," the report says.
At one point, one of the officers saw the man "step out again, draw the bow string back quickly and aim at his team." That's when the two officers fired their weapons.
"Alternative options were not employed as they would not have been effective" the report says, though investigators confirmed that one officer fired the ARWEN 37 as the other two officers opened fire.
Aside from taking statements from the 37 police officers involved, investigators also interviewed 11 civilian witnesses and reviewed photos and video recordings of the incident. A photo from one witness shows the man's "bow and arrow fully drawn" before the shooting, the report says.
Erin Nauss, head of the Serious Incident Response Team, said in the report that she could find no reasonable grounds to believe the officers committed a criminal offence.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2023.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976871.1721873052!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
DEVELOPING Jasper updates: 'Significant loss' within Jasper townsite
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park has reached the townsite.
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.