.
February 14, 2013 - 2:06 PM
DUNCAN, B.C. - An RCMP officer has been found guilty of aggravated assault for shooting a man in the shoulder during a traffic stop on Vancouver Island.
Const. David Pompeo had testified that he didn't know if William Gillespie was high on drugs, planning to attack or thinking nothing at all before he shot the man on Sept. 18, 2009.
Gillespie praised the judge's ruling, saying it proves the courts aren't going to look the other way over allegations of excessive force by trigger-happy police officers.
RCMP officials who were at provincial court in Duncan, B.C., for today's decision say they will be reviewing Judge Josiah Wood's ruling before making any comment.
Pompeo told the court during the trial last summer that Gillespie got out of his vehicle without being told to do so and made blatant movements and gestures, making him believe the man was armed.
The officer testified Gillespie ignored his commands at gunpoint, but Gillespie told the court he was ordered out of the car and complied fully with Pompeo's instructions. (CJSU)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013