ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The RCMP says a loaded rifle was seized from the home of a 59-year-old Newfoundland man shot dead by an officer on the premier’s security team.
Sgt. Greg Hicks says the .22-calibre rifle was retrieved and will be examined at a forensic lab as the Mounties investigate the fatal shooting.
Don Dunphy of Mitchells Brook, southwest of St. John’s, was killed Sunday by a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary member.
The officer was part of the security team for Premier Paul Davis investigating perceived threats on Dunphy’s Twitter feed.
Hicks says the officer was invited into Dunphy’s home but after about 15 minutes the mood suddenly changed before Dunphy pointed the rifle at him.
Hicks says the officer consulted local Mounties and police databases as part of a routine risk assessment before deciding backup was not warranted.