Manitoba’s police watchdog has cleared two officers in the shooting death of a Winnipeg man who confronted police with an axe while officers tried to hospitalize him for mental health concerns.
The acting civilian director of the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba says in a report that the use of force was authorized and justified.
The director added there are no reasonable grounds to support any charges against the two officers.
Police were called to the home in the North End neighbourhood last February to take the 59-year-old man to the hospital for a non-voluntary examination under the province’s Mental Health Act.
The police watchdog investigation found the man prevented police from entering his home, discharged a fire extinguisher twice and swung an axe at officers when they were able to gain entry into the home.
An autopsy found the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.