Attorney General Wally Oppal is defending the Crown's decision not to charge an RCMP officer in connection with the shooting last year of a young mill worker in the small northern B.C. community of Houston.

Oppal says the Mountie told investigators he was nearly choked unconscious at the RCMP detachment by the man before he pulled his gun and shot 22-year-old Ian Bush in self-defence.

Ian Bush, 22, was shot in the head at the Houston RCMP detachment office last October.
(CBC)

"He feared at that time for his life," said Oppal. "That's the evidence we have. That's the only evidence we have."

Bush had been arrested and taken to the detachment after being caught having a beer outside a hockey game, and then giving police a false name.

Oppal says Bush was about to be released from the detachment when he punched the officer, cutting and bruising the policeman's face, leading to a struggle.

"The officer was put into a headlock by Mr. Bush, the officer withdrew his revolver, a struggle took place and Mr. Bush unfortunately and tragically was shot."

Oppal says if charges had been laid against the officer, the Crown would have had to disprove the Mountie's self-defence claim.

Mother rejects police version of events

The dead man's mother, Linda Bush, says she doesn't believe the officer's story.

"I can't see how it's possible, and how it's possible for him being choked and have his gun out and find his target so accurately," she told CBC News.

"Even though they said it's a possibility, it doesn't mean it's what happened."

Oppal says he's "terribly sympathetic" to the Bush family, but he says he hasn't spoken with them because he's one of the people they're suing in a civil lawsuit stemming from the shooting.

The victim's family has launched a civil suit against the officer and the B.C. government, and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association has taken the case to the RCMP Public Complaints Commission.

The B.C. Coroners Service also plans to hold an inquest.