There is a lot of human emotion in the work we do at W5 and sometimes it rises to searing levels. One of those stories is our investigation into the shooting deaths of Rodney Jackson and Greg Matters, two men who never met each other, but shared the same fate.
Both were shot and killed in northern British Columbia 鈥� Rodney Jackson in 2009 and Greg Matters in 2012. Both died at the hands of an RCMP Emergency Response Team. Ever since, their families have asked the same question: Why did it have to happen?
Thirty-five year-old Rodney Jackson, a member of the Gitanmaax First Nations Band, was living in the wilderness to escape the Mounties in Hazelton, BC. They had warrants for his arrest that stretched back over three years for charges that included domestic assault, drug possession and failure to attend court.
鈥淩odney wasn鈥檛 a danger to society,鈥� said his uncle, Aubrey Jackson. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 a rapist. He wasn鈥檛 a killer. He wasn鈥檛 the demon the RCMP painted him out to be.鈥�
But Rodney was a hunter and he had a rifle. When someone told the Mounties where Rodney was hiding they decided to deploy a heavily armed Emergency Response Team to arrest him.
An officer wrote to a superior, 鈥淟et鈥檚 get an Ops Plan in action to get this guy before winter hits, ERT, helicopter, all the fun stuff.鈥�
鈥淭hey saw it as a chance to get all the toys - the M16s, get into their camouflage gear and their face paint,鈥� said Cameron Ward, the lawyer for the Jackson family. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 not what the Emergency Response Team is for. It鈥檚 for hostage takings, barricade situations.鈥�
There were no hostages or barricades at Rodney鈥檚 remote cabin, just Rodney, his brother Sonny and their dogs. When the dogs started barking on the morning of September 26th, 2009, Rodney thought it might be a grizzly bear and, taking his rifle for protection, went out to investigate. He had no idea that seven heavily armed police officers were waiting for him.
At the Coroner鈥檚 Inquest two years later, ERT officers testified that they called out to Rodney, telling him to drop his weapon, but he didn鈥檛 respond. They fired several shots at Rodney which struck and killed him.
The Coroner ruled that Rodney鈥檚 death was a homicide, a death caused by someone, but not necessarily criminal. And although Coroners鈥� Inquests don鈥檛 assign blame, they do make recommendations. At the inquest into Rodney Jackson鈥檚 death, the jury recommended better communications and better training; lessons for the ERT to ensure that this kind of tragedy wouldn鈥檛 happen again. But it did.
Three years later, the ERT was called out to arrest 40 year-old Greg Matters, a former Master Corporal in the Canadian Army who came home to Prince George, BC with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
鈥淗e clearly had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,鈥� said Dr. Greg Passey, his psychiatrist and one of Canada鈥檚 leading experts in PTSD. 鈥淎ll the classic signs, the nightmares the anxiety, the panic attacks.鈥�
That instability led to run-ins with the police, charges for uttering threats. But it was an ongoing dispute with his brother that sparked a series of events that would end in Greg鈥檚 death.
It started early in the morning of September 9, 2012 when Greg allegedly assaulted his brother after chasing him off their mother鈥檚 property. The Mounties decided to arrest Greg that evening, but he had driven to a remote cabin on the rear of his property.
He didn鈥檛 have a gun, but the Mounties believed he did, so they mobilized the Emergency Response Team. They also sent a helicopter to scout over the property which raised Greg鈥檚 PTSD to a new level.
鈥淚t would be hugely triggering,鈥� said Dr. Passey. 鈥淗e would have got more into his fight or flight mode.鈥�
The RCMP ordered the helicopter to leave the scene, but the damage was done. Greg was now in a highly emotional state. Believing a neighbour was coming to drive him to surrender at the police station, Greg left the cabin. But when he discovered the gate to his property had been broken by police, he became angry.
Officers later testified that Greg threatened them with a hatchet. They fired a Taser, but it didn鈥檛 work. One of the officers fired his rifle. Greg died from two bullets that struck him in the back.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand why an emergency response team with men in camouflage gear and a helicopter [was deployed]鈥� said Greg鈥檚 sister, Tracey. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just such an overreaction.鈥�
In its first case since it was established in 2012, BC鈥檚 Independent Investigations Office, the IIO, ruled that the officers who killed Greg were acting in self-defence and no criminal offence was committed. But the IIOs Chief Civilian Director, Richard Rosenthal, questioned the decision making process that resulted in the deployment of the ERT. He sent his concerns to the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, an organization that can investigate beyond the narrow mandate of the IIO and examine the conduct of the RCMP throughout the whole incident.
At the Coroner鈥檚 Inquest, held in Prince George in late 2013, there were questions about the IIO itself, particularly its ability to gather evidence from the officer who shot Greg. Under provincial law, the officer who fired the fatal shots did not have to answer the IIO鈥檚 questions.
There were also questions about why the ERT did not try to stop Greg Matters with less-lethal options, like a beanbag gun and a police dog.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they completed their investigation in those circumstances,鈥� said Cameron Ward, the lawyer who represented the Matters family
Now the IIO has agreed to take another look.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very clear that at minimum my office needs to issue a supplemental report,鈥� said Richard Rosenthal.
That鈥檚 one small victory for the Matters family. Another bitter-sweet moment was the verdict of homicide at the Coroner鈥檚 Inquest in January, 2014. But Inquests don鈥檛 assign blame and that left the family frustrated.
鈥淲e managed to get some facts out, but I still believe that criminal charges should be considered.鈥� said Tracey Matters outside the courthouse after the verdict. 鈥淎nd this isn鈥檛 the end of the road for us. We will be looking into other avenues.鈥�
Also present for the verdict was Aubrey Jackson, the uncle of Rodney who had been shot and killed by the ERT three years before Greg. Emotions ran high when he met Greg鈥檚 mother, Lorraine, for the first time.
鈥淚 look in her eyes and I can see the pain in her that I feel,鈥� said Aubrey.
Although the Coroner鈥檚 Inquest didn鈥檛 assign blame, it did make recommendations about the ERT鈥檚 training and communications, recommendations that were similar to those Aubrey heard at the inquest into his nephew鈥檚 death. But he has little faith that anything will change.
鈥淚鈥檓 afraid, sorely afraid that it will happen again,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 hoping that the recommendations will be considered with haste and implemented.鈥�
Before they met, the families of Rodney Jackson and Greg Matters had struggled alone with their grief and anger for what happened to their loved ones. Now they are united in their quest to find justice and prevent another tragedy.
