No Prints on Hatchet says IIO Investigator
Prince George, B.C. – The inquest into the death of Greg Matters has heard that his fingerprints were not on the hatchet he is alleged to have used to threaten police.
At the Coroners Inquest into the shooting death, Counsel for the Matters’ family, Cameron Ward, asked IIO investigator Rob Stutt if the hatchet, and what Mr. Matters was alleged to have been doing with it, was critical to the investigation. Stutt agreed.
But although previous witnesses have testified that Matters was waving the hatchet as he approached them, Stutt has testified Matters fingerprints were not found on the hatchet. Stutt can’t recall for certain if the hatchet was swabbed for possible dna, which may have determined if the item had been in Matters hand .
Stutt testified he was not the one who collected the evidence, that was done by North District RCMP Forensic Investigations section, under the watchful eye and direction of an IIO member.
The jury is expected to be given it’s instructions and retire before the end of the day to make its final determinations on how Greg Matters died, and to develop recommendations they believe will prevent such a death from occurring in the future.
Comments
Not only an unprofessional handling of the situation in the field, but it is turning out to be a shoddy investigation as well.
In addition to such things mentioned above, the medical examiner indicated the entrance and exit locations of the bullets, but the IIO did not include that information in their report. So he was shot in the back and the side, not in the front as some were led to believe.
I have to ask, who inspects the inspectors to make sure the inspectors do their job properly?
Has no one noticed the lack of dna or fingerprints on the hatchet. There should have been some from previous use, but it was clean?
If mathers had it in his hand when he was shot, who do you think would have had the intent and the opportunity to wipe it clean?
seems like a mystery to me that requires an answer. The coroner does not seem to . Should he, in this case?
The police version of events keeps getting more and more questionable. The investigation of the IIO seems to also be also questionable.
I hope the Matters family keep pushing for answers.
One would think that the RCMP would equip its members with video cameras! They are small enough now to clip onto a shirt pocket and they can record one hour of HD widescreen colour video with sound.
Pen size!
Price about 60 bucks, less when purchased in bulk.
That way there would be indisputable evidence to back up verbal accounts of officers and other witnesses.
The truth died with Greg Matters. I think if more evidence of inconsistency gets kicked around than it will take the supreme court of Canada to reopen it.
Did Greg have the axe, or was it planted? I thought the other story was he was brandishing a knife like object with a 12 inch blade.
A million lies, one truth…. died with Greg Matters.
they are not going to self convict by recording their every action. IT wasn’t the hatchet they were worried about but the stapler in his pocket.
The man was distraught by action taken on him by his own brother in the last 24hrs. He was known to have mental health issues caused by his years in the army. I’m sure the RCMP special team had a full file on him, so why not let him speak to his shrink.
The taser did nothing to him, I can believe that, he was probably trained to deal with it.
If he was actually brandishing an axe, they could have shot him in the leg to take the man down. Was it necessary to shoot to kill? This is what this special team is trained to do, to bring them in alive. Was the subordinate that pulled the trigger given the shoot to kill order. No, the person who pulled the trigger had a choice, to kill him or injure him. I’m sure he was under a scope when he was shot not shot free hand. Shame that the IIO will not stand up and do what it was made to do, just another layer of lies that the government has in its arsenal.
What recommendation should be given.
Life over death. If the person does not have to die, wound him, disarm him than let the shrinks deal with it.
I think there is a lot more to this story than we will ever know, I feel sorry his Mother. I hope she has not lost two sons.
ice:”they are not going to self convict by recording their every action.”
Well, if they act within the rules of the law and their training they have nothing to worry about if they record an incident.
Police cars have dash mounted video recorders (common practice south of the border, don’t know if they have that here) and that has convicted many a criminal and exonerated the police, except for the odd cop who went berserk.
It appears they had the same mentality as what happened in the Vancouver airport. Walk in like a bunch of bullies with the attitude we are going to show you who is boss istead of puting some real thought into this situation before it got out of control.
Idjits – wiped clean – too much CSI for you guys; try and lift fingerprints off a wood handle, or a rubber one with grip. Unless it was freshly varnished handle there is no way you are going to get a good useable print. After a break in they couldn’t even get a print off a piece of glass because it was dusty and now you want them to pull prints off a hatchet handle probably aged, cracked and worn. Get out a piece of tape and see how many you can pull off your hammer handle, or axe if you have one. You get a few good prints then you can talk
If he took the axe out of the sheath which I understand was also there you would think there would be a good chance of getting some prints off of the steel axe head.
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