RCMP memo released by Mass Casualty Commission raises questions about Onslow shooting investigation

Firefighter Darrell Currie has never understood how two RCMP members who fired shots at a civilian at the Onslow Fire Hall were cleared of any wrongdoing, and now an RCMP memo released by the Mass Casualty Commission shows he’s not alone with his concerns.

Currie was among those at the Onslow Fire Hall on April 19, 2020 when a massive manhunt was underway to search for Gabriel Wortman, who had killed 22 people over the span of 13 hours.

That morning around 10:30, two RCMP officers fired shots at an RCMP cruiser that was parked at the fire hall. The two officers have said they believed they were shooting at the gunman, but it turned out they were actually shooting at David Westlake, the emergency management coordinator for Colchester County.

The fire hall itself was being used as a comfort station for Portapique, N.S., residents who had evacuated their homes.

An investigation into the incident conducted by the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) had cleared the two officers of wrongdoing.

“There’s no accountability whatsoever, they just open fire on a civilian and drive away” said Currie, but he adds that he’s surprised in a good way to see an RCMP memo support his concerns.

The memo was written in January 2021 by the Hazardous Occurrence Investigation Team Commander and raises concerned about the Use of Force Report that was prepared by retired Vancouver police officer Joel Johnston, and used as reference for SIRT’s investigation into the incident at the Onslow fire hall.

The memo states that “HOIT identified inaccuracies and omissions within the report which HOIT believes bear relevance on the investigation.”

Among the concerns raised are the lack of witnesses interviewed, and claiming that officers only fired their weapons after seeing Westlake duck behind a marked cruiser. Video surveillance meanwhile shows that Westlake never ducked.

The memo also notes there is no evidence that officers attempted to send any message over their radios to check who may have been in the vehicle before shooting at it.

Currie says the concerns in the memo echo his own, and it shows that SIRT should be reopening the investigation.

“It just adds more evidence to the facts that the SIRT report had inaccurate information and incomplete information,” said Currie.

Even SIRT’s own director at the time has acknowledged the Use of Force Report was flawed.

2:17 Victims’ families make final submissions to N.S. shooting inquiry

In a transcribed interview with the Mass Casualty Commission, Felix Cacchione told the inquiry that he “had real concerns with Joel Johnston” and that he found the report to be “one sided” so SIRT would not be using his services again.

However, Cacchione also said that SIRT’s final report into the incident was not solely based on Johnston’s report and he was standing by the decision to clear the officers of wrongdoing.

Currie says he believes there should be an appeal process when it comes to SIRT investigations, adding that he “doesn’t have a lot of faith in police investigating police.”

RCMP declined an interview about the memo, saying that the HOIT investigation into the incident is still underway, though nearing completion.