Revelation about police shooting raises questions

It's now been disclosed that the young mill worker who was shot while in RCMP custody in northern B.C. last fall was shot in the back of the head.

Ian Bush

The RCMP said Bush was shot after he attacked the officer outside the Houston detachment.

The family's lawyer says the coroner told him the young man was shot in the back of the head. And Howard Rubin says that raises questions about the RCMP's self-defence claim.

• FROM NOV. 8, 2005: Family seeks answer in police custody death

The victim's mother, Linda Bush, agrees the new information raises more questions about the fatal shooting.

"It's very hurtful to think that if there was a struggle of some kind, and maybe it happened accidentally, that's bad enough. But I don't see how this could have been accidentally."

She says she hopes the new information will lead to charges against the officer involved. But she's not confident that will happen.

"There was nobody there but the two of them. So, it's maybe a very difficult thing to deal with for the RCMP, as well."

The RCMP has yet to complete its investigation into the shooting. A coroner's inquest will be held.

• LINK: B.C. Civil Liberties Association

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has called for independent reviews of four cases of men who have died over the past 15 months while in RCMP custody or while being pursued by the RCMP.