May 17, 2013 - 9:57 AM
SURREY, B.C. - British Columbia's police watchdog has cleared two officers of criminal wrongdoing in separate cases, one involving the death of a Vancouver man and the other connected to the injury of a man in a Prince George police pursuit.
The Vancouver case involves Christopher Ray, who was shot and killed by a Vancouver police officer last October.
At the time, police said the officer was responding to reports of someone smashing windows when he saw Ray running towards him with a knife, and shot him.
The Independent Investigations Office says the majority of witnesses interviewed confirmed Ray was holding a weapon, and that the officer involved shot him in self-defence.
The IIO also found a Prince George Mountie committed no offence when he chased after a man in response to reports of someone causing a disturbance in an apartment building.
During the pursuit, the man jumped into a ravine and was injured, but the IIO says the officer involved did not use force against the man and didn't commit an offence.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013