Police officer shot by one of his own

Police officer shot by one of his own
Date: Dec 15, 2006 9:02 AM
PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun
DATE: 2006.12.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1 / Front
BYLINE: Wency Leung and Darah Hansen, with files from Jeff Lee
SOURCE: Vancouver Sun
ILLUSTRATION: Graphic/Diagram: Vancouver Sun / AT THE SCENE:
Policeofficer was shot in the abdomen during a drug raid.
WORD COUNT: 443

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Police officer shot by one of his own

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A New Westminster police officer suffered internal injuries Thursday
when he was shot in the abdomen by another police officer in a drug raid
that went terribly wrong.

The injured officer -- who has not been identified -- is expected to
recover, with police crediting the man's bulletproof vest for saving his
life.

The details of exactly what happened at a two-storey apartment building
at 727 Fourth Avenue weren't clear Thursday night as police continued to
investigate the matter.

Staff Sgt. Casey Dehaas of the New Westminster police department said
the shooting occurred at about 3:30 p.m. as officers from both the New
Westminster drug unit and integrated emergency response team converged
on the building to execute a drug warrant.

Sometime during that effort "there was a shot fired," Dehaas said.

Initially police would only confirm that one of their own was in
hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries from a bullet to
his abdomen.

In an update to media shortly after 7 p.m., Dehaas confirmed the shot
came from another officer's weapon.

Dehaas refused to identify the police officer involved in the shooting,
commenting, "the officer, to my understanding, is traumatized."

Dehaas said the injured officer was in plainclothes rather than a police
uniform at the time of the shooting. However, he would not say whether
that contributed to any confusion among police.

Dehaas had no information on why guns were drawn in the incident.

"Accidents do happen," he said.

"The biggest thing out of this investigation is [to find out] what
happened here. Let's make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

Dehaas said he didn't believe the officer responsible for the shooting
would be suspended, adding the officer was given counselling support
Thursday.

The integrated emergency response team is made up of police from New
Westminster, Port Moody, Delta and Abbotsford.

The injured officer was treated at the scene by paramedics, then rushed
to Royal Columbian Hospital.

"He's going to be okay," said Dehaas.

Dehaas said the bulletproof vest under the officer's shirt prevented the
bullet from doing fatal harm. The shot was still powerful enough,
however, to cause severe bruising and other internal injuries.

The shooting took place at a ground-level apartment at a two-storey
apartment building. The dilapidated yellow building is surrounded by
three- and four-storey apartment buildings in one of New Westminster's
grittier high-density neighbourhoods.

Some neighbours in the area said the apartment was known for illegal
drug activity, involving crack, heroin and speed.

The shooting drew crowds to the area. At one point, as a forensics team
was continuing to collect evidence hours after the incident, a man drove
by and shouted to an officer guarding the front: "Give our best to your
guy!"

Police said several people were taken into custody after the shooting,
but Dehaas did not know whether any charges had resulted from the raid
as of Thursday night.

It was the second time in four years a New Westminster police officer
has been shot.

In March 2003, Const. Brian Knipstrom was shot in the leg after
responding to a 911 call at an apartment building on 11th Street near
Queens Avenue. A second officer was shot in the same incident but was
not injured because his bulletproof vest deflected the bullet.




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