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Coroner’s inquest rules Victoria police shooting of Rhett Mutch a suicide

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A coroner’s inquest jury that reviewed the death of a Victoria man who was shot during a confrontation with police has been classified as a suicide.

Rhett Mutch, 24, was fatally shot in the neck after he charged at police officers with a knife.

Victoria police responded to a 911 call from his mother’s Dallas Road home on Nov. 1, 2014.

The Independent Investigations Office later cleared the Victoria police of any criminal wrongdoing after it was determined Mutch who was holding a knife, refused to drop it and charged at other police arriving at the scene.

The report did not say why the jury classified the case as a suicide.

Here are the 12 recommendations the seven-person jury made aimed at preventing people suffering from mental health issues from police-involved deaths:

To the Ministry of Health:

1. To provide adequate funding to the Integrated Mobile Crisis Response team program to be able to provide services 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

To the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General:

2. To ensure that online retraining for Crisis Intervention De-escalation is refreshed with new and relevant scenarios every 2 years.

3. To consider a worn (bodycam style) automatic audio and/or audiovisual (GPS and timestamp) device to assist and supplement the review of radio and/or cell phone records of events.

To the Ministry of Children and Family Development:

4. To have fully supported transition (Multi-disciplinary/Collaborative) plans from child to youth, to young adult, to 19 plus.

5. To ensure the Young Adult Program adds a Life Skill Options component to its program with an option to renew every three months up to age 25.

6. To maintain the continuation of same support workers as child ages.

To the South Island Police Departments:

7. All members to be made aware of and encouraged to participate in care services after a critical incident.

To Prime BC and Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Team:

8. That an MOU be entered into by both agencies so a record of attendance at a residence, and /or complainant, by the Integrated Mobile Crisis Response team is noted and “Flagged” in Prime.

To Police Chiefs of Southern Vancouver Island and the Vancouver Island Health Authority (Island Health):

9. To require that after a defined number of multiple crises calls to police from a single source are received, the following will occur (a) an early intervention from appropriate Ministries is initiated and (b) a collaborative safety plan is created.

To the Independent Investigations office and the BC Association of Police Chiefs:

10. Consider amending the MOU between the agencies to ensure that police officers can debrief in a timely manner.

To Prime BC and the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Children and Family Development:

11. To enter into an MOU to provide access to information between all three agencies.

To the Legal Aid Society of BC:

12. To provide a fee category for legal representation at a Coroners Inquest for the family of the deceased person.

For the full story,  visit http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rhett-mutch-inquest-1.4122906

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Victoria Buzz Staffhttps://www.victoriabuzz.com
Your inside source for Greater Victoria happenings. Established in 2012.

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