KELOWNA, B.C. - Mounties in Kelowna, B.C., are attempting damage control while trying to cool the growing anger stemming from an incident where an officer was videotaped kicking a co-operative suspect in the face.
Supt. Bill McKinnon called a news conference Saturday in advance of a Sunday rally planned to protest the officer's actions and support Buddy Tavares, the man arrested last weekend.
"I want to ensure the public that senior members of the RCMP hear loud and clear what the general public's views are in relation to the video that has been shown across the country and is readily accessible on the Internet," McKinnon read from a prepared statement.
The video, shot by a bystander across the street, shows Tavares getting out of his truck with his hands in the air, both officers have their guns drawn and one officer kicks the man in the face as he is getting on the ground.
Tavares is charged with careless use of a firearm. He was stopped after shots were fired at a Kelowna-area golf course.
The 51-year-old man is on leave from his job at the golf course while recovering from a brain injury suffered in a recent motorcycle crash.
Tavares said he was asked by his employer to use a shotgun to scare geese off the greens.
When Tavares was released from custody, he had a black eye and several scrapes on his face.
Investigators from the independent Abbotsford police service arrived earlier this week to probe the incident.
McKinnon said the investigators have about 40 witnesses to interview in the case. Three more investigators were also brought in to expedite the probe.
"We realize the processes are not moving as quickly as most people would like, but everyone must understand that the processes must be followed and the processes are legislated in the RCMP Act," McKinnon said.
The officer involved, Const. Geoff Mantler, has been suspended with pay pending the investigation.
McKinnon defended that decision too, saying suspensions with and without pay are not sanctions.
"They are preventive measures designed to protect the RCMP's integrity and it's processes pending outcome of the matter which gives rise to these measures."
He said a stop in pay would only be made in extreme circumstances.
But residents have been demanding action against the officer, and McKinnon said he has read some angry comments on various Internet blogs about planned civil disobedience during a protest rally to be held in Kelowna Sunday.
"I urge everyone to remain calm, make their point, and allow the legal processes that are in place to come to completion," he said.
This isn't the first time Mounties' actions have been caught on tape.
In October 2007, four Mounties were caught on video jolting Robert Dziekanski with a police Taser.
Dziekanski died on the floor of the arrivals area at Vancouver International Airport.
