Winnipeg police officer pinned by stolen pickup truck justified in shooting driver: IIU

A Winnipeg police officer who was pinned by a stolen pickup truck when he shot and killed the man behind the wheel should not face charges, according to Manitoba’s police watchdog.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba determined the officer was justified in using force during the traffic stop in the early hours of Nov. 28, 2023, on Dalhousie Drive. IIU will not be recommending charges, as a result.

The interaction began around 12:37 a.m. when Winnipeg police officers attempted a traffic stop of a stolen pickup in a rear lane of Dalhousie, east of Pembina Highway.

After officers pulled the female driver from the vehicle, police say the male passenger slid into the driver’s seat to try to flee.

A witness officer says he heard “the truck revving and tires spinning, followed by a crunching noise” – the sound of his colleague being pinned by the pickup truck.

The subject officer “stated that as the truck moved, he could feel pressure in his hip area and that his feet were no longer planted on the ground,” according to IIU’s report.

That officer who was pinned then fired two shots at the suspect behind the wheel “while his body started to go limp and he fell to the ground.” The pickup truck then crashed into a nearby fence.

The driver was taken to Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg in critical condition, where he died of his injuries.

Manitoba’s police watchdog says investigators spoke to officers and witnesses, reviewed police notes, forensic identification photos, video footage from after the shooting, and more. The officer who shot the suspect declined to be interviewed by IIU investigators, instead providing a statement along with his notes.