Halifax police say a man who was shot during a foot chase in Dartmouth is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder, in connection with the incident.
Police say several items were stolen from a home in the 6900 block of Flinn Street in Halifax on June 14 and that investigators identified a Dartmouth man as the suspected robber.
Police say plainclothes officers went to the suspect’s home on Gaston Road in Dartmouth around 7 p.m. Thursday to arrest him in connection with the robbery.
As the officers tried to arrest the man, police say he became combative, resisted arrest and tried to stab one of the officers with a knife.
He then fled the scene on foot with the officers in pursuit.
Other officers were called to the scene and a chase ensued in a wooded area, then continued onto a ball field behind Prince Arthur Junior High.
Police say the suspect refused to comply with officers and pulled out his knife a second time. One of the officers then shot the man.
“It’s an unfortunate incident that did occur,” says Staff Sgt. Bill Morris. “The officers acted as they deemed fit. They weren’t injured in the incident.”
The suspect was taken to the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police later executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home, where they seized several stolen items and ammunition.
Chris Cockerill will face charges of attempted murder, three counts of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, three counts of resisting arrest, two counts of uttering threats, escaping lawful custody, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, break and enter and possession of stolen goods.
The 35-year-old Dartmouth man will be remanded to the Central Nova Correctional Centre and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
The shooting incident has been referred to Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team, an independent unit that investigates serious incidents involving police in the province.
