An experienced Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer in Nova Scotia who took part in the police operation on the night of the Portapique massacre told public inquiry on Tuesday that confusion was inevitable with the deployment of a large spontaneous operation to stop an active shooter .
The commission of inquiry is looking into the circumstances that allowed a man disguised as an agent of RCMP and the driver of the imitation patrol vehicle was able to kill 22 people between April 18 and 19, 2020. All this before being shot by police after a 13 -hour search.
Sergeant Andy O’Briennow retired, it was confirmed Tuesday that he was on leave the night of the tragedy and he had consumed four to five rum-based cocktails in four hours before learning that a suspect had been massacred and burned in the Portapique countryside , about 130 kilometers north of Halifax.
At any rate, drinking before going to work questions the integrity of any decision makingacknowledged by Mr. O’Brienwho is a non-commissioned officer of RCMP for the district of Colchester.
” I’m not drunk, but that doesn’t matter. There will always be a perception when people know you are drinking … that you have no condition to act. “
However, Sergeant O’Brien his wife requested that he be taken to the police station. RCMP ng Bible Hillwhere he picked up his radio before going home to advise field officers.
From the beginning of the public inquiry, several witnesses reported on the confusion that reigned over who was in charge of the operations. One of the commissioners, the former Fredericton police chief, Leanne Fitchspoke a major communication errors.
“Inevitable addicts”
Tuesday, Mr. O’Brien told the commission that the method used by RCMP to handle complex, high-risk incidents is to deploy large operations within minutes or hours.
There will always be inevitable setbacks in any organization, especially when it is created in place in a ridiculously short period of time with a completely new or unfamiliar purpose, he said. There will be confusion. There will be a double task. There will be failures.
However, Mr. O’Brien Argued that while the process is not perfect, it is noteworthy for its great flexibility.
We have a great experience knowing how to adapt on the fly, he insisted. We’re all familiar with the concept: It may not be part of my job description, but if it needs to be done, we do it.
A commission lawyer, Anna Mancini, asked the witness about her response to a request from a field officer for reinforcements as she monitored the shooter in the dark with two other colleagues.
The agent asked by radio, around 10:25 pm, if another team could come and support them in the Portapique area. Immediately, Mr. O’Brien He said he heard the request and waited seemingly endless before taking the initiative to order officers not to go there because the darkness threatened to cause a friendly fight.
It was a situation where I knew the answer, but where I hadn’t heard anyone’s answer, he reasoned. Obviously, nothing [des autres officiers] heard the message … or not so [répondre].
In previous testimony, the District Commander, Allan CarrollHe said he was surprised to hear the voice of Mr. O’Brien on his radio because he thought his colleague was at home. Lord. Carroll Mr. also argued. O’Brien may violate the protocol of RCMP exceeding his authority.
He must forward the request to the chain of commandthe commander said last week.
Earlier this year, a federal survey of workplace investigators revealed a lack of clear leadership in the direction of operations and a confusing environment for officers in the field.
Despite the protocol, Mr. O’Brien remained involved in decision making until 3 am the next morning. He was later assigned to crime scene management in Portapique, where 13 people were killed within 40 minutes before the suspect fled.
Lord. O’Brien is the third official of RCMP to benefit from special accommodations. Last week, the Board of Inquiry gave the same treatment to Staff Sgt. Brian Rehill due to unspecified health issues, which prompted protests from most of the victims ’relatives.
Lord. Rehillwho testified on Monday, and Mr. O’Brien also obtained a dispensation from the cross-examination of attorneys representing the families of the victims. Lord. Rehill is the risk manager of RCMP in service when the massacre began in Portapique.
Source: Radio-Canada
