RCMP brass launch review of B.C. officer’s shooting; corporal still recovering

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Mounties in British Columbia’s Interior say an internal review is now running parallel to the criminal probe into last month’s shooting of an RCMP officer.

Forty-one-year-old Cpl. Jean Rene Michaud (mee-SHOW’) was shot during an early morning traffic stop on Dec. 3 in Kamloops.

Supt. Brad Mueller says the review will look at all aspects of the shooting and make recommendations to prevent further incidents, noting similar processes took place after officers were shot in Moncton, N.B., last year and in Mayerthorpe, Alta., in 2005.

After the shooting, Michaud underwent emergency surgery and was later airlifted to a Vancouver-area hospital where he remains.

The shooting sparked an intense manhunt that lasted more than 12 hours and ended with the arrest of Ken Knutson, a 36-year-old with a lengthy criminal history.

Knutson faces charges off attempted murder, aggravated assault and two firearms-related charges, has remained in custody at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre since his arrest and is due back in court on Jan. 29 for a potential bail hearing.

Mueller says Michaud’s condition is improving.

“He continues his recovery in Vancouver and it’s unknown when he will return to Kamloops,” Mueller says. “He’s heading in the right direction. Certainly, his prognosis looks favourable.”

(Kamloops This Week, The Canadian Press)