No matter how you cut it, there was NO reason to shoot this man.

Greg did not have to die. Does a confused person need to die, seems to me the intent should have been to taser him. If the intent was to taser him, the intent was not to kill him in the first place. So if the taser was not working, take out one of his leg and than it will diffuse the situation and he can still be here having turkey with his Mom this weekend. You would think that some simple common sense like this would be entrained into the ERT.

Unless, they were too thirsty.

Yeah, yeah yeah, there claim is the average citizen don’t understand anything and watches too much TV. Something just don’t add up in my simple mind.

Agree and from he statements its clear he was not advancing but turning to go into the house2 shots in the back and out through the chest. Cant understand his other than they were tiered and wanted to end it. Trigger happy and ended with another lost life

I still haven’t seen anything stating he was shot in the back , other than from comments posted here. Can someone please direct me as to where to find this fact?

exactly!! even the information on here yesterday was totally confusing about entry and exit.

They keep saying they are trained to shoot at the body mass. Might as well say they are trained to shoot to kill.

He spoke.
First of all, RCMP officers are not known to be marksmen. Secondly, they are trained to shoot at “the centre of mass”. In other words, shoot to kill.

page 8 of the public report states that it was two bullets to the chest.

I don’t think it was necessary to shoot this man, don’t get me wrong. However, making statements that this man was shot in the back puts a whole new slant on this and makes it even MORE disturbing.

The family never stated he was shot in the back. I would think that they would know, and if it was indeed true that they would be shouting it from the rooftops! I know I sure as hell would!

So, if someone can provide me with some concrete evidence where it is stated or even reported that this man was shot in the back, I’d like to see it. If not, then stop posting false information.

I still have no clue were the 4 key officers were positioned in relation to Matters. The diagram in the IIO report does not divulge that information.

The report is totally useless. An amateur could do better than that. It provides no background information as to when the testimony was taken; what precautions, if any, were taken to avoid cross contamination of each individual’s point of view with that of others. etc.

It would have been easy to use 5 people to recreate positioning and take some still shots from an elevated point of the action as they step through time in slower sequencing.

They have video cameras in squad cars now for routine vehicle stops, etc. They should be making a better effort to get some recording technology into such field operations. I do not know what sort of audio capacity they have. Certainly records of intermittent radio use seems to be available.

Interesting that they are going to examine the training the police get for such responses.

I think that is where much of the problem lies.

The thing is, one might not be able to fault one or more officers at the scene if they are not trained to do what anyone with some common sense would do …. keep your distance, let the thing die down over time, etc. etc.

This was not a killer fugitive who needed to be taken in because he might continue his killing.

As it said in the IIO report in a footnote, the ERT officers are supposedly trained to take a person alive, (maybe injured, but alive) and to shoot at the mass. However, to do that with a high powered rifle, which was the case here, is a sure death warrant.

That is not a statement made by me, it is a paraphrase of the words in the report.

They had the “non-lethal” backup there, the officer with the shotgun loaded with a pellet sack which stuns but does not kill. However, he was not in a position to use the weapon at the time the taser was deployed.

In my mind that was a failure of what should have been a proper “attack” formation prior to the decision being made that they would approach Matters to get close enough to him to physically apprehend him. The report actually does not even go into that micro decision. All it states is that they were told Matters was “arrestable” (legally in a position to be arrested for just cause).

BTW, even though the report made public by the IIO states that there were two shots and they were to the chest, I find it interesting that none of the quotes (which I assume are straight from transcript of the interviews) state that.

Just because that particular record states he was shot in the chest, does not prove that was the case. That is only the testimony of the officer(s). I want to see the records of the medical examiner who did the autopsy.

The headline in the Vancouver Sun dated October 7, 2013.

Inquest hears RCMP shot unarmed former peacekeeper twice in the back at Prince George home

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Inquest+hears+RCMP+shot+unarmed+former+peacekeeper+twice+back/9006142/story.html#ixzz2hQvlrVMh

So, that reporter told a lie? Possible. Possible that he/she did not hear it well, or formed the conclusion independently based on some wrong logic.

I know I am unable to say which it is. I believe the coroner’s report was one of the first pieces of evidence presented.

So, we have confused officers at the scene, confused reporters reporting on what they heard and saw at the inquest, which all results in a confused peanut gallery at home.

It seems to be another common modern ailment, the inability to communicate clearly.

In a 16-page report published Wednesday, B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office concluded that “there was no evidence that any police officer committed an offence related to this death.”

What they left out is that the whole operation was an amateurish cluster f… and a man needlessly died.

Lesson learned if you see the ert team, even if they are just driving by in their movie prop dark vehicles, duck.

iitel, I don’t think I mentioned body mass. eitherway, I did come to the realization a few days ago, there is a difference between RCMP and ERT.

I’m sure they wanted to end the situation, but it could have been done with a shot to the leg. Its not as if it is point a handgun and pull the trigger situation. The sharp shooter has a rifle and scope on him.

The ERT member who shot Greg Matters:

“I switched off the safety of my rifle, aimed at Matters’ centre of mass and fired two rounds”. (via PGC)

Yeah the Psychos are on the Force, did ya no that…..

Wow, I hope no one on this site ever has anyone “advance” on them, in any form because the outcome would be tragic….for them. After all the information on Police use of force, how is it possible for people to still assume shooting someone in the leg works? Let’s please call a spade a spade here, a mentally unstable person (regardless of the reason’, PTSD!, Brain injury, or anything else) attacked his family member, threatened the lives of several doctors and police, “advanced” on a police officer with a hatchet (in case you are keeping score, a hatchet to the frontal lobe WILL kill you) and was shot. The police were cleared of all wrong doings by the IIO (a civilian body…ie not the Police) and yet people still call them gangs and ruthless killers.? I say great job RCMP for keeping us safe. And if I need assistance I will call you, expecting to have my issue solved as you do every night and every day. I know you have a dangerous job (feel free to google how many Canadian Police officers have been killed in Canada) and I expect that as a person not breaking any laws, you will shoot and kill anyone trying to prevent you from coming home at the end of the night. thank you RCMP and thank you Prince George ERT for keeping EVERYONE safe, even if you have to use deadly force to do it. And thank you for keeping all the armchair QBs on this site safe very night despite there opnions (it’s because of you that they can feel free to have said opnions)

I agree Sick of. Something else people tend not to factor in, is if you are the cop with the gun, and someone rushes you, and you decide to try and disarm them, and you fail, he ends up with the gun, you are dead, and anyone else he chooses to shoot with your weapon.

I wouldn’t want these guys job. You’ve got a fraction of a second to make a no win decision, that everyone else will get weeks to analyze and tell you what you ought to have done even though they themselves likely haven’t ever been in a fist fight, never mind trying to disarm someone with a weapon.

sick and Ski, he was shot in the back, There was many rifles and scopes on him.
your falling for the trap, feared for my life. Sorry, I don’t buy that. Not with ten fully armed ERT guys against a man with a hachet.

Sick, ski, lets turn the table around. How would your thanksgiving dinner be, with an empty seat. This is what I am talking about, he did not have to die.

Please read the facts not the posts HE WAS NOT SHOT IN THE BACK!!

And I feel safe and secure this Thanksgiving that the brave men and women of the Canadian Police Forces will be protecting my loved ones from criminals!

“The police were cleared of all wrong doings by the IIO”

Interesting that anyone could read that from the report.

Read the conclusion and decision on page 14. The document is not copy able so I am not about to write something out here since that takes far too long.

The link is posted in several other locations on this web site so go find it yourself.

Basically it states that the reasons why it even got to the stage that it did are beyond the mandate of the II0. It is an internal matter with the RCMP, and will be dealt with the public complaints department of that service.

Too many people in this world are functionally illiterate.

If someone came at me brandishing a hatchet in a threatening manner, I wouldn’t stick around to see if my buddy would shoot him. I’d be out of harms way in a few seconds.

“I wouldn’t want these guys job. You’ve got a fraction of a second to make a no win decision, that everyone else will get weeks to analyze and tell you what you ought to have done even though they themselves likely haven’t ever been in a fist fight, never mind trying to disarm someone with a weapon.”

Exactly ski. One of the funniest things I read from someone who was wondering why they just didn’t shoot the hatchet out of his hand? Someone’s been watching too many westerns.

Everyone is debating how responsible the RCMP is in this situation, what about Mr. Matters himself and his family? What responsibility do they have? Mr. Matters threats are well documented. Mental issues or not, you cannot make threats to the police or others without reprucussions.

Aww… come on JB everyone loves a good western movie, but this looks very real to me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BThc31VHCZ0

I would think that ERT snipers are just as much expert marksmen as well?

Thank you Sick of armchairQB and Ski50. finally some one with some objectiveness and common sense. The ERT team WAS cleared of all criminal charges, that’s what it means when the IIO says they are not recommending charges. Bottom line is all he had to do was put up his hands and none of this would have happened.

Congrats, People#1, you found a Youtube video. I guess that should apply everywhere and in every situation.

I nominate Gus as the next witness during this inquiry, as he is clearly an expert on every subject. Mr. Matter’s kindergarden teacher may also offer us some valuable insights, maybe a few more ex-lovers. This thing has turned into a complete side show, thats what happens when an incompetent coroner is responsible for running it.

“Sick of armchair QBs” Im sure the Bush family in Houston will be sharing your sentiments this thanksgiving

“Proud to be PG” I haven’t lived in this anti police province long. There was a shooting and the police were cleared of wrong doing….correct. So what’s the point your trying to make against Police this time?

The gang was cleared of criminal charges only. No mention of the screwed up operation. That will be kept a secret. Third world police force.

There are problems with para military ERT teams also in the states. Thier use and deployments are being questioned.

In the Houston case the detainee was shot in the back… of the head, Paramedics were told not to enter the detachment for 1/2 hour, Furniture had been re-arranged and for some reason the security cameras were not functioning. Then the officer was asked to re-enact the altercation, puppets had to be used because it would have been impossible for the officer to physically duplicate how he stated the altercation went down. The officer was exonerated. A few winters ago a suspected burglar in Vanderhoof was shot in the… back fleeing from 2 police officers in pursuit, The officer stated that he tripped in the snow and his weapon discharged, striking the father of one, this was in clear contradiction of the other officer who testified that the partner went to one knee, aimed and discharged. The officer was exonerated, You seem to be a smart fellow, figure it out