The 39-year-old man shot and killed by RCMP in Castlegar during an attempted traffic stop last week had a history of impaired driving and had received a three-year driving prohibition in February 2012.
According to court records, Waylon Jesse Edey was due in court in Cranbrook on February 15 facing charges of operating a motor vehicle while disqualified, driving while prohibited, and fleeing from police, following an incident on March 11 last year at Moyie.
In March 2011, he was sentenced to 14 days in jail and received a two-year driving ban after admitting to impaired driving in an August 2009 incident at Creston.
In February 2012, he received a 60-day jail sentence and three-year driving prohibition after being convicted of driving while prohibited and failing to provide a breath sample, following an incident at Kaslo in June 2010.
Police shot Edey on the evening of January 29 near the east end of the Kinnaird bridge on Highway 3. He was taken to Kootenay-Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, but died soon after arriving.
The BC Coroners Service report released on Tuesday stated the man was from Yahk but according to several Kaslo residents, the man was born and raised in Kaslo.
BC’s Independent Investigations Office is investigating the shooting. Five investigators travelled to Castlegar last Friday, including a forensic specialist.
According to an information bulletin issued by the IIO, over the weekend the team reviewed the evidence that had been obtained from the scene and interviewed witnesses to the incident. One officer has been designated as a subject officer; one has been designated as a witness officer.
The IIO said these investigative tasks are “standard in this type of a critical incident.”
On February 4, Ralph Krenz of the IIO said the team is continuing with their forensic analysis. Krenz said there will be one of two outcomes. If there is no criminal wrong-doing found or determined, a public report with a summary of what happened will be posted on the IIO website. The other outcome would be a report forwarded to the Crown.
“It’s important to remember that the IIO have a lower referral threshold to Crown compared to police,” said Krenz. “If it goes to Crown, they can issue a clear statement if they believe that there is no wrong-doing or it could proceed to court with charges being laid.”
— With files from Greg Nesteroff
