The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) has transferred its investigation into the death of a male in an officer-involved shooting on December 31, 2023, at an apartment block on University Crescent in Winnipeg, to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).
ASIRT’s involvement follows a recommendation by the IIU’s civilian director, Roxanne Gagné, to transfer the investigation to an out-of-province civilian oversight body to avoid the potential of any perceived conflict of interest.
Early in the investigation, the IIU became aware that an officer involved in the shooting is a close relative of an employee of Manitoba Justice, the same department in which the IIU is located organizationally. Although there are no concerns over the professionalism and integrity of the work done by IIU investigators, considering the relationship of the persons involved, it was concluded that the appointment of an outside agency for this investigation is important to preserve the integrity of the investigative process.
Based on the advice of the civilian director, the justice minister authorized the transfer of the investigation to ASIRT, pursuant to the minister’s authority under sec. 20 of the Police Services Act.
The details of this investigation were first announced on January 2, 2023.
