Coroner names man shot by B.C. Mounties; police watchdog seeks witnesses
VICTORIA – The 24-year-old man who was shot and killed by Mounties on northern Vancouver Island has been identified by the coroner's service.
James Butters, who was also known as James Hayward, died Wednesday morning near the intersection of Highway 19 and Granville Street in Port Hardy.
Police have previously said officers responded to reports of a man threatening security at a wildfire fighting staging area located at a high school, and the suspect was brandishing a knife.
They said police tracked the suspect down, and officers shot him after a confrontation.
The Independent Investigations Office says in a news release that a knife and other pieces of physical evidence were seized at the scene.
The police watchdog says it believes people witnessed the shooting and that investigators would like to speak with them.
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license to kill…a knife eh…wow…that’s dangerous…best make knives illegal…or issue licences with criminal check before you can by a set of steak knives. the one time they should have used a tazer….wtf is the point of issuing tazers?
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Why is it that the police always have to shoot to kill when a suspect is only armed with a knife.Is there no such thing as wounding in their training.This is just another very bad case of police misconduct resulting in a tragic death of a young man that could have been avoided if there was a bit more self control.
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