Man shot by RCMP charged with assault in alleged knife-wielding incident; family says there was no weapon

A Manitoba man who was shot last week by RCMP has been arrested and charged in relation to that incident, after police say the man was brandishing a knife toward an officer – but the man’s family says there’s more to the story.

Thompson RCMP have charged 30-year-old Raymond Michelle with assault on a police officer with a weapon, two counts of assault with a weapon on civilians, and possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose.

Police say the charges stem from an Oct. 25 incident in Thompson, Man. Michelle allegedly approached an officer with a knife in his hand. The officer then shot him.

The incident was caught on video and widely shared on social media.

Michelle’s family does not believe the police are telling the full story – and that the officer should not have fired their weapon.

“There are allegations of Little Ray (Raymond Michelle) having a knife, however after reviewing the video, we see no evidence of a weapon in Little Ray’s possession,” the family’s spokesperson Kikwani Mikisew Iskwew said last week.

“What we witnessed on Monday (Oct. 25) is the continued mistreatment against our relatives from the RCMP officers. This is not the first time the justice system has failed us.”

Iskwew said Michelle should not have kept walking toward the Mountie, but believes the shooting was an unnecessary use of force.

“We cannot remain silent, or our relatives will continue to be mistreated by the systemic violence against the Indigenous people of this land,” she said.

Thompson RCMP say they were serving legal documents to a resident in an unrelated matter on Oct. 25 when they were told of a man with a knife in the area. That culminated in the encounter with Michelle that was caught on video.

Michelle was taken to hospital and was then released. Police say he was later arrested at a business in Thompson and remains in custody.

Both the Manitoba Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) and Thompson RCMP continue to investigate.