The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) determined that two Shawnigan Lake RCMP officers acted lawfully in the shooting of a Mill Bay resident in 2018.
Chris Bloomfield, 27, was shot and killed in the 1100 block of Mill Bay Road on November 10th, 2018.
Shawnigan Lake RCMP responded to the scene after receiving reports from a victim who said they had been drugged with LSD and assaulted, according to the IIO.
The victim claimed Bloomfield had mental health issues, was threatening to kill himself and had been taking drugs.
With a warrant for his arrest and paramedics standing by, the officers approached the residence.
According to the report, Bloomfield advanced on the police officers while wielding a knife, and was shot with a Taser before police officers fired six bullets at him.
Bloomfield received first aid and was transported to the hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries at 2:25 p.m. that same day.
An autopsy showed Bloomfield was shot twice in the chest, once in each arm, and once in the abdomen. The toxicology report showed that he had psychoactive substances including cannabis, PCP, LSD, MDMA, and ketamine in his blood at the time of death, as well as cocaine.
The IIO concluded that witness accounts and ballistic reports matched the officers’ statements.
Chief civilian director Ronald J. MacDonald wrote that the officers were justified in using lethal force to defend themselves.
“I do not consider that there are reasonable grounds to believe that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment and therefore will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges,” he stated.
