Shocking story. He was also part of the crew that killed Dziekanski with a taser at the airport.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081028.wrcmpimpaired1028/BNStory/National/home
IAN BAILEY AND JOSH WINGROVE
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
October 28, 2008 at 1:05 AM EDT
One of four Mounties involved in a fatal confrontation with Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski last year is now facing charges of impaired driving in an accident that killed a 21-year-old man last weekend on a quiet street in Tsawwassen, B.C.
The dramatic news comes as Crown attorneys are trying to decide whether to lay criminal charges against the officers in the case of Mr. Dziekanski, who died after being tasered by officers at the international arrivals area of Vancouver airport.
That incident captured on videotape that has raised enduring questions about the police use of conducted-energy weapons.
Police refused to identify the officer by name, but the RCMP confirmed his link to the Dziekanski case, and also said he served on the Olympic Integrated Security Unit. Sergeant Tim Shields, a spokesman for the force, said he did not know the officer's age or how many years of service he had with the force.
The RCMP and police in the municipality of Delta, which includes Tsawwassen, on Tuesday disclosed that the off-duty Mountie, a Tsawwassen resident, was involved in a collision just after 10 p.m. Saturday night between his Jeep and a motorcycle driven by Orion Hutchinson, 21, on a quiet two-lane street. Witnesses say the officer left the scene of the crash, and later blew over the legal limit for alcohol.
Witnesses reported that the Jeep appeared to be turning left onto a residential street on a tight angle when it struck Mr. Hutchinson's motorcycle.
"It was just a loud explosion. Such a horrible sound," said a 50-year-old woman who lives steps away from the crash, and didn't want her name published. "There was just nothing left of that motorcycle. That poor boy didn't stand a chance."
After the crash, the woman saw the officer hand his driver's licence to another witness before leaving the scene on foot with his two children who were in the car. He didn't appear to attend to or check on the injured Mr. Hutchinson, she said.
"He got out of his Jeep, handed his licence to somebody and ran down the road with a kid in each hand," the witness said. "Maybe he could have saved that kid's life? He's a policeman, he must have had first-aid training."
Untrained witnesses then attempted to perform CPR on Mr. Hutchinson until emergency crews arrived, guided by a 911 call-taker over a cellphone, the witness said. Mr. Hutchinson died at the scene.
"It was very, very shocking. It's just devastating."
The Mountie, who returned to the scene, afterwards failed a breath test at Delta police headquarters, and was released on a promise to appear in Provincial Court on Jan. 15. Police have recommended charges of impaired driving causing death and exceeding .08.
Sgt. Shields offered his condolences to Mr. Hutchinson's family. "Our deepest and most heartfelt and sincere condolences and our hearts and prayers are with you," he said during a news conference at E Division headquarters.
"This is a tragedy and a heartbreak. All of us are absolutely sick about it," he said, speaking for the RCMP's members and employees.
The officer has been suspended with pay and will face a code of conduct investigation over the incident. "The officer involved is predictably devastated as are we," Sgt. Shields said.
Mr. Hutchinson's father was so distraught he was barely able to express himself as he spoke to CTV about the loss of his son on the doorstep of the family's home.
"He was incredibly smart and full of life. He loved nature. He could literally spend hours studying creatures," said Glenn Hutchinson, struggling to control his emotions as he recalled a young man who, as a child, would rescue earthworms from puddles.
Asked about his son's interests, he said: "It was nature. It was all about nature with him." He added: "I loved every minute I had with him. The only thing I can tell you to do is love your children and hug them like there's no tomorrow because sometimes there isn't."
Sgt. Shields said the RCMP has taken an "arm's-length" distance from the investigation and left the review of the incident to the Delta Police Department.
The other three officers involved in the Dziekanski confrontation remain on duty, but Sgt. Shields would not say where.
Constable Paul Eisenzimmer of the Delta force told a separate news conference on Tuesday that the case remains under investigation, and that additional charges are possible. "This is a large-scale investigation and, like any large-scale investigation, will take some time to conclude," he said. For that reason, he said there were limits on details that could be released.
He said the officer's name had not been released because he had not been charged.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081028.wrcmpimpaired1028/BNStory/National/home
IAN BAILEY AND JOSH WINGROVE
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
October 28, 2008 at 1:05 AM EDT
One of four Mounties involved in a fatal confrontation with Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski last year is now facing charges of impaired driving in an accident that killed a 21-year-old man last weekend on a quiet street in Tsawwassen, B.C.
The dramatic news comes as Crown attorneys are trying to decide whether to lay criminal charges against the officers in the case of Mr. Dziekanski, who died after being tasered by officers at the international arrivals area of Vancouver airport.
That incident captured on videotape that has raised enduring questions about the police use of conducted-energy weapons.
Police refused to identify the officer by name, but the RCMP confirmed his link to the Dziekanski case, and also said he served on the Olympic Integrated Security Unit. Sergeant Tim Shields, a spokesman for the force, said he did not know the officer's age or how many years of service he had with the force.
The RCMP and police in the municipality of Delta, which includes Tsawwassen, on Tuesday disclosed that the off-duty Mountie, a Tsawwassen resident, was involved in a collision just after 10 p.m. Saturday night between his Jeep and a motorcycle driven by Orion Hutchinson, 21, on a quiet two-lane street. Witnesses say the officer left the scene of the crash, and later blew over the legal limit for alcohol.
Witnesses reported that the Jeep appeared to be turning left onto a residential street on a tight angle when it struck Mr. Hutchinson's motorcycle.
"It was just a loud explosion. Such a horrible sound," said a 50-year-old woman who lives steps away from the crash, and didn't want her name published. "There was just nothing left of that motorcycle. That poor boy didn't stand a chance."
After the crash, the woman saw the officer hand his driver's licence to another witness before leaving the scene on foot with his two children who were in the car. He didn't appear to attend to or check on the injured Mr. Hutchinson, she said.
"He got out of his Jeep, handed his licence to somebody and ran down the road with a kid in each hand," the witness said. "Maybe he could have saved that kid's life? He's a policeman, he must have had first-aid training."
Untrained witnesses then attempted to perform CPR on Mr. Hutchinson until emergency crews arrived, guided by a 911 call-taker over a cellphone, the witness said. Mr. Hutchinson died at the scene.
"It was very, very shocking. It's just devastating."
The Mountie, who returned to the scene, afterwards failed a breath test at Delta police headquarters, and was released on a promise to appear in Provincial Court on Jan. 15. Police have recommended charges of impaired driving causing death and exceeding .08.
Sgt. Shields offered his condolences to Mr. Hutchinson's family. "Our deepest and most heartfelt and sincere condolences and our hearts and prayers are with you," he said during a news conference at E Division headquarters.
"This is a tragedy and a heartbreak. All of us are absolutely sick about it," he said, speaking for the RCMP's members and employees.
The officer has been suspended with pay and will face a code of conduct investigation over the incident. "The officer involved is predictably devastated as are we," Sgt. Shields said.
Mr. Hutchinson's father was so distraught he was barely able to express himself as he spoke to CTV about the loss of his son on the doorstep of the family's home.
"He was incredibly smart and full of life. He loved nature. He could literally spend hours studying creatures," said Glenn Hutchinson, struggling to control his emotions as he recalled a young man who, as a child, would rescue earthworms from puddles.
Asked about his son's interests, he said: "It was nature. It was all about nature with him." He added: "I loved every minute I had with him. The only thing I can tell you to do is love your children and hug them like there's no tomorrow because sometimes there isn't."
Sgt. Shields said the RCMP has taken an "arm's-length" distance from the investigation and left the review of the incident to the Delta Police Department.
The other three officers involved in the Dziekanski confrontation remain on duty, but Sgt. Shields would not say where.
Constable Paul Eisenzimmer of the Delta force told a separate news conference on Tuesday that the case remains under investigation, and that additional charges are possible. "This is a large-scale investigation and, like any large-scale investigation, will take some time to conclude," he said. For that reason, he said there were limits on details that could be released.
He said the officer's name had not been released because he had not been charged.
