Charges approved against man accused of ramming B.C. RCMP cruiser, injuring Mountie
Charges have been approved against a man accused of ramming his SUV into a police cruiser and injuring an officer at an RCMP detachment on Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
The man was shot by a Mountie in the parking lot of the North Cowichan-Duncan detachment and rushed to hospital, as was the injured officer. Both sustained non-life-threatening injuries and the officer has since been released from hospital, according to Island District RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Bérubé.
Lunden Taylor Howard, born in 1994, is charged with assaulting a police officer with a weapon in connection with the incident at the police station on Canada Avenue in Duncan.
Howard is also charged with assault by choking and breach of recognizance in Esquimalt earlier that day.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) is still investigating what Insp. Chris Bear of the North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP called "a very disturbing incident" at the police station.
Witness video taken from an apartment building beside the station shows a man in a grey hooded sweatshirt standing next to a dark-coloured SUV that has crashed head-on into an RCMP cruiser, forcing the police vehicle into a ditch.
Two uniformed RCMP officers approach the man who appears to be accessing the rear passenger seat of the SUV.
One officer can be seen drawing his weapon as the man turns toward him. A single gunshot is heard and the man falls backward onto the ground.
"The main issue for us will be whether or not the officer who shot the civilian had reasonable, probable grounds to believe that there was a risk of grievous bodily harm or death to him or another individual," Ronald J. MacDonald, the IIO's chief civilian director, told CTV News after launching the investigation.
A man is accused of ramming his SUV into a police cruiser and injuring an officer before he was shot at an RCMP detachment on Vancouver Island on May 12, 2023. (CTV News)
It was the second police shooting in Duncan in just over six weeks after an RCMP officer shot a man who was driving a piece of heavy construction equipment through a residential neighbourhood at night.
Police said they received a report of an intoxicated man on a skid-steer loader around 9:15 p.m. on March 28. A slow chase ensued and the skid-steer collided with police vehicles before officers opened fire on the man, striking him twice in the head.
The man survived and is still recovering from serious injuries. The IIO is still investigating the incident.
"Across Canada, this has been an exceptionally difficult year for policing, with several officers killed in the line of duty," Mike Farnworth, B.C.'s minister of public safety and solicitor general, said in a statement Monday recognizing National Police Week.
"In our largest cities and smallest towns, in remote villages and Indigenous communities, we rely on police officers to prevent crime and violence, and protect people. Every day they selflessly and courageously uphold public safety, putting their lives at risk so the rest of us can live in peace and safety."
A date for Howard's first court appearance has not yet been set, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.