Delta, B.C., officer charged with careless use of firearm after man injured

VANCOUVER – A B.C. police officer whose gun went off and injured a man has been charged with careless use of a firearm.

The Criminal Justice Branch said Thursday that the charge against Delta police Const. Vicken Movsessian emerges from an incident in November 2013.

The branch said Movsessian had contact with people inside a vehicle in Surrey when his firearm discharged and a male occupant was hurt.

Because the injury involved a police officer, the Independent Investigations Office looked into the allegations and determined Movsessian may have committed an offence.

The Delta Police Department said the officer had been seconded to the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit since March 2012 and was a member of a gang task force when he was involved in a high-risk vehicle check that resulted in his firearm discharging.

“The affected person sustained injury and was transported to hospital where he was treated and later released,” the department said in a statement.

Movsessian has been an officer in Delta since 2006 and has been assigned to non-operational duties with the unit, the department said.

Acting chief Lyle Beaudoin said other agencies have conducted investigations so he has limited knowledge about the circumstances.

Movsessian’s first court appearance has been set for April 27 in Surrey provincial court.