Over two years later, the investigation into the police shootings in Granisle that left a 73-year-old woman and her 39-year-old son dead has concluded with no charges recommended.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) released a report Friday describing the circumstances that led to the deaths of Shirley and Jovan Williams over two years after the events that shook the small village on the shore of Babine Lake on April 21, 2016.
The report reads that the officer who took the shots said he was forced to first when Jovan ran out the back door wearing an army helmet and tossed a Molotov cocktail and pointed a rifle towards the officer, and then again when Shirley came out with a shotgun and wearing a bullet-proof vest.
Paramedics already on scene rushed to the Williams, but both died at the scene. No officer was hurt.
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There were no witnesses to the actual shootings in the backyard by the officer, who was an emergency response team member and the last to arrive on scene after six officers arrived from nearby detachments. Other officers were surrounding the residence from other sides and the officer in charge was at a neighbour’s residence trying to speak to the pair in their home on Morrison Street.
Because there were no eye witnesses, recorded radio transmissions, witnesses on scene who heard the shots fired and had interacted with the Williams earlier in the day, and physical evidence left at the scene were used to corroborate what happened.
IIO members arrived in Granisle the day after the incident around 2:30 p.m. They gathered information and evidence to construct a timeline of what happened, which started with a reported violent confrontation between neighbours:
–About three months prior to the incident, a dispute between the Williams and two civilian witnesses (CW1 and CW2) took place. Police were informed and told of allegations that one of the witnesses (CW1) assaulted Jovan, and that the two witnesses vandalized the Williams’ property.
– One week before the incident Shirley was at a Granisle business and ran into CW1 and a third witness (CW3), with CW1 reportedly offering to work out differences. That offer was reported as rebuffed with a warning for CW1 as described by CW3: “…if [CW1] comes back in my yard, I’m going to kill [CW1]. And then she turned around and left.” CW1 made notes of a an alleged phone call from Jovan where CW1 was warned, “…stay away from [Shirley] or he will ‘fix’ me.” CW1 and Jovan ran into each other later and CW1 reported that Jovan put something up to his shoulder and made a gesture as, “…you would a gun.” CW1 said later that same day Jovan rode a bicycle on and off CW1’s property, gesturing for the person to come outside, which CW1 did not do.