A former member of the Prince Rupert detachment of the RCMP may soon find himself returning to court, as he is asked to once again defend his actions in a high profile shooting incident from 2006.
Maya Sanford, who was shot by an RCMP officer after she lunged at him with a pair of scissors in the 2006 incident at Pa’s market in Prince Rupert, has decided to sue the officer for the use of excessive force.
A statement of claim was filed in B. C. Supreme Court last week, in it Sanford offers up the opinion that Constable Richard Van de Pol, had no legal justification in shooting her.
Sanford was exonerated of all of her charges after Judge Agnes Krantz observed in court that Sanford, who had been a consistent user of marijuana was suffering from a “paranoid reality” and felt that she was only defending herself during the course of those events.
Van de Pol was cleared by a police internal review of the shooting and was praised by Judge Agnes Krantz at the time of the Sanford trial as a compassionate police officer, who was “moved and distressed by the events.” He has since transfered to the Nanaimo detachment and had no comment on the latest twist in the two year old incident.
The case was covered extensively by the Daily News and other media outlets, as can be seen from these articles our archives over the months since the shooting.
Maya Sanford, who was shot by an RCMP officer after she lunged at him with a pair of scissors in the 2006 incident at Pa’s market in Prince Rupert, has decided to sue the officer for the use of excessive force.
A statement of claim was filed in B. C. Supreme Court last week, in it Sanford offers up the opinion that Constable Richard Van de Pol, had no legal justification in shooting her.
Sanford was exonerated of all of her charges after Judge Agnes Krantz observed in court that Sanford, who had been a consistent user of marijuana was suffering from a “paranoid reality” and felt that she was only defending herself during the course of those events.
Van de Pol was cleared by a police internal review of the shooting and was praised by Judge Agnes Krantz at the time of the Sanford trial as a compassionate police officer, who was “moved and distressed by the events.” He has since transfered to the Nanaimo detachment and had no comment on the latest twist in the two year old incident.
The case was covered extensively by the Daily News and other media outlets, as can be seen from these articles our archives over the months since the shooting.
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September 8, 2008-- WOMAN ACCUSED OF ASSAULT ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES
September 8, 2006-- B.C. woman shot by police acquitted of scissor attack
October 10, 2006-- WOMAN SHOT BY POLICE FACES CHARGES
October 2, 2006-- WOMAN RECOVERING AFTER BEING SHOT DURING STRUGGLE
September 30, 2006--RCMP Officer involved in shooting incident in Prince Rupert
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Sanford will be represented in court by former police complaints commissioner Don Morrison, assisting her as she moves to the other side of the court room to present her case.
The Vancouver sun reviews the case from 2006 and outlines what led to the decision to head back to the courts in her quest for a redress of her grievances. A move that we are sure will make for conversation starters around the city for weeks and months to come…
Woman, shot in paranoid high, sues officer
Acquitted after assault with scissors, she claims excessive force
Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Sun
Friday, October 10, 2008
A Prince Rupert woman who was shot in the abdomen by an RCMP officer after she lunged at him with a pair of scissors is now suing the officer, claiming he used excessive force.
Sanford will be represented in court by former police complaints commissioner Don Morrison, assisting her as she moves to the other side of the court room to present her case.
The Vancouver sun reviews the case from 2006 and outlines what led to the decision to head back to the courts in her quest for a redress of her grievances. A move that we are sure will make for conversation starters around the city for weeks and months to come…
Woman, shot in paranoid high, sues officer
Acquitted after assault with scissors, she claims excessive force
Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Sun
Friday, October 10, 2008
A Prince Rupert woman who was shot in the abdomen by an RCMP officer after she lunged at him with a pair of scissors is now suing the officer, claiming he used excessive force.
In a statement of claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court last week, Maya Sanford argued her attack on Const. Richard Van de Pol was the result of an adverse reaction she suffered from smoking marijuana and that the officer had no legal justification for shooting her.
The incident occurred at PA's convenience store in Prince Rupert on Sept. 29, 2006, after Van de Pol responded to a call of a woman behaving erratically.
According to Sanford's statement of claim, some marijuana she had smoked earlier in the day had "caused her to feel frightened and perceive that people were attempting to kill her."
As a result, she grabbed some scissors to protect herself.
RCMP spokeswoman Const. Annie Linteau said Thursday that Van de Pol repeatedly tried to get Sanford to drop the scissors, but she did not comply.
In her statement of claim, Sanford writes that "Const. Van de Pol wrestled her to the ground and then pointed his gun at her demanding that she put down the scissors. Van de Pol then shot [Sanford] in the abdomen."
Sanford, then 23, stated she was rushed to hospital following the shooting, required three invasive surgeries and was in hospital for more than six weeks.
She suffered injuries to her bowel and left kidney and permanent nerve damage to her left leg. The bullet remains inside her body because it's too close to her spine to remove safely. Sanford alleged that her injuries have caused her pain and suffering as well as affected her ability to earn a living.
Because she was shot in public, Sanford also claimed she suffered "humiliation and embarrassment."
Following the incident, Sanford was charged with assaulting Van de Pol with a weapon.
Last month she was acquitted of all charges after a judge ruled that, because of her "paranoid reality," Sanford believed she was acting in self-defence.
"I am prepared to accept the possibility that Ms. Sanford was experiencing psychosis, in all likelihood brought about by her consistent marijuana use," Provincial Court Judge Agnes Krantz ruled, according to a report in the Prince Rupert Daily News. "Ms. Sanford believed that the policeman was part of the plot against her and that her life was in danger, and that her only ability to save herself was basically by attacking him."
While acquitting Sanford, Krantz also singled out Van de Pol for praise, saying he was a compassionate police officer who was "obviously moved and distressed by the events as they unfolded."
Van de Pol, who now works in Nanaimo, could not be reached for comment.
Linteau said the force conducted its own internal review of the shooting and determined Van de Pol's use of force was justified.
Sanford's lawyer, former police complaints commissioner Don Morrison, could not be reached for comment.
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