The province's Serious Incident Response Team says there are no grounds for charges against RCMP officers after an Annapolis County man was shot by police.
The incident occurred when Bridgetown RCMP officers were investigating a suspicious fire involving a motorhome and residence in Hillburn, near Annapolis Royal, in July 2016.
When police tracked down a male suspect, SiRT says he was driving a stolen truck and trying to ram a smaller vehicle carrying people he knew.
They say when Mounties walked up to the truck and ordered the driver to get out of the vehicle, the suspect drove towards the officers.
That's when police fired shots, hitting both the truck and the driver.
He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening gunshot wounds in both arms.
The independent investigation determined the force used by officers was reasonable and justified under the circumstances.
"The officers knew the male suspect had very recent mental health issues, was acting in a bizarre manner that evening, was possibly armed with a firearm and was not following their repeated orders to stop and get out of the vehicle," says SiRT. "In order to stop the vehicle from running them over, it was necessary at that moment, to use their firearms."
SiRT says the man was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, dangerous driving, theft of a motor vehicle and arson, however the accused was found not criminally responsible for all charges by reason of mental disorder.
