No charges for Vancouver police officer who shot suspect and deceased victim

VANCOUVER – No charges will be laid against a Vancouver police officer who fired his weapon three times, hitting a suspect and the body of woman who was already dead.

The British Columbia Criminal Justice Branch says it considered several possible charges against the officer, including careless use of a firearm, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm.

The justice branch says in a news release that in April 2014, two officers came upon the suspect in the blood-covered hallway of a Vancouver apartment building with a woman and child lying motionless at his feet.

Police told the man to put down his weapon and when he refused, an officer fired, shooting the suspect in the hand and hitting the woman, who had already been stabbed to death, with another bullet.

The Independent Investigations office looked into the shooting and passed its report on to the justice branch, which says its charge standard for proceeding with a prosecution has not been met.

Shortly after the confrontation, a man was charged with the second-degree murder of his mother and the attempted murder of his 19-month old niece.

The justice branch says he was found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder.