THOMPSON, Man. — A Crown prosecutor has argued that a northern Manitoba RCMP officer on trial for manslaughter in an on-duty shooting was driven by the desire to make an arrest — no matter the cost.
In closing arguments today, the prosecutor said Const. Abram Letkeman made only wrong choices in the lead-up to his firing shots into a Jeep driven by Steven Campbell.
Court in Thompson, Man., has heard 12 bullet casings were found on the scene and Campbell was hit at least nine times.
The defence says all police officers have made mistakes and Letkeman thought his life was in danger.
The Mountie had tried to pull over Campbell’s Jeep in November 2015 for suspected drunk driving, but it turned into a pursuit that ended in a collision.
Letkeman testified he walked in front of the Jeep and it started moving towards him, so he was forced to fire.