Dawson man shot by police allegedly wielding axe
ASIRT says two officers fired guns
CBC News
Posted: Oct 24, 2011 5:02 PM CT
Last Updated: Oct 24, 2011 4:52 PM CT
A man who was shot by police last week in Dawson City, Yukon, was allegedly threatening police with a large axe. The man was taken to Whitehorse hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident began when Dawson City RCMP attempted to stop a vehicle on Thursday. A car chase ensued and ended about 50 kilometres east of the town in the Dempster Highway area.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) looks into serious incidents involving police. Two investigators went to Whitehorse, and another two went to Dawson City to do interviews and collect evidence.
ASIRT executive director Cliff Purvis says his investigators interviewed two officers who fired their guns, as well as other officers involved in the case.
“We’re determining just what was done with a weapon, but recovered from the scene was a splitting maul, or a large axe, so our responsibility is to look at the actions of the police officers involved and determine whether or not they committee any criminal offences,” said Purvis.
He can’t say how long the investigation will take. Purvis said ASIRT does not decide if charges should be laid against the man who was shot. That's up to the RCMP, he said.
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