The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER- Five Vancouver police officers are facing a criminal investigation after a photo emerged showing them smiling and hovering over an injured suspect.
Insp. Rollie Woods told a news conference Tuesday that the photo shows a suspect dressed in a white prisoner’s jumpsuit looking distressed, with an abrasion on his face.
“The prisoner has a distressed look on his face and a facial injury is prevalent,” Woods said.
“One of the officers has his hand behind the prisoner’s head, all of the officers are smiling.”
The photo is not authorized under police procedures and the department strongly disapproves of what appears to be questionable conduct on the part of the officers, Woods said.
The officers are under investigation for possible assault or assault causing bodily harm and abuse of authority.
They are part of the firearms interdiction team, a group of specially trained officers who are experienced in taking down armed offenders.
They remain on duty.
The civilian in the photo was a suspect in a break and enter and now faces seven charges, including carrying a concealed weapon.
Woods confirmed media reports that one of the officers is Sgt. Keiron McConnell.
In 1999, McConnell was a constable and among three officers acquitted on assault charges laid after a man was beaten outside a nightclub.
Another officer witnessed the scuffle and testified for the Crown.
But the judge said he wasn’t able to extract the truth from the conflicting testimony offered by the officers during the five-week trial that heard from 30 witnesses.
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