Prelim hearing for RCMP Const to wrap up in Castlegar court this week
By Castlegar Source
The preliminary hearing for RCMP West Kootenay Traffic Services Const. Jason Tait should be wrapping up today or tomorrow in Castlegar court.
The hearing, which began Monday, stemmed from an incident on Jan. 28, 2015, in which Tait fatally shot Waylon Jesse Edey, 39 , of Yahk, B.C., on Kinnaird Bridge (Hwy 3) in Castlegar (Edey was transported to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries).
See https://trailchampion.com/news/coroner-releases-name-deceased-officer-involved-fatal-shooting-35940 for earlier coverage.
The Independent Investigations Office faced criticism for the length of their investigations, as they recommended charges in April of 2018, years after the shooting (see https://trailchampion.com/news/iio-speaks-investigations-de-grootedey-officer-involved-shootings-west-kootenay-37136 ).
The Edey family also launched civil proceedings against the officer in 2016, in which it was revealed that the deceased had a history of impaired driving. Defendants argued the officer was defending himself and the public from harm, while the suit contended that the death of the deceased was wrongful and was caused by the negligence or recklessness of the defendants
The charge being contemplated is manslaughter with a firearm, and this week’s hearing is to determine if there is adequate evidence to proceed to trial.
