A confrontation between an off-duty RCMP officer and a teenage boy carrying a toy firearm on Halloween is raising questions about police conduct, public safety and how adults should approach children in potentially dangerous situations. A video recorded in downtown Nanaimo shows the officer repeatedly swearing at the teenager, demanding he destroy the imitation firearm and warning that responding police officers could shoot and kill him. The encounter has since sparked a wider debate about whether the officer’s underlying safety message justified the way it was delivered. During the exchange the man asks the teenager, “You’re a Native kid, right?” before repeatedly warning him, “They’re going to kill you.” The B.C. RCMP’s Island District confirms it is reviewing the confrontation. “We are aware of the video involving an off-duty member and are reviewing the incident,” the RCMP said in a statement to CTV News. “Efforts have also been made to connect with the youth and his family as we work to understand the totality of what occurred, including the events leading up to the video.” Witness says teenager was visibly shaken Tayo Amodu, who recorded the encounter, says he was waiting at a bus stop when he heard someone shouting at the teenager. Amodu says he initially did not know either the boy or the man involved. He began recording after noticing how aggressively the adult was addressing the youth. He believes the situation could have been handled very differently, particularly given the teenager’s age and the fact it was Halloween. “I think he did a very terrible job,” Amodu said of the officer’s conduct. Amodu says the teenager remained relatively calm throughout the exchange, despite the officer’s increasingly heated language. He also says the officer appeared to put his hands on the boy and continued berating him even after the teenager had been told to break the toy firearm. After the man walked away, Amodu says he approached the teenager to check on him. “He was actually shaking out of fear,” Amodu said. Amodu says he wanted to get involved but worried that doing so could escalate the confrontation. Instead, he chose to document what was happening. “I couldn’t intervene because I thought if I did, I know for a fact I would have fought him. And that would have been really bad for me because I’m an immigrant. I’m like, it’s going to be worse for me than it is going to be for him.” He says he believes the officer had an opportunity to deliver an important safety message without frightening or intimidating a child. Former police commissioner says message was valid, delivery was not Chris Lewis, CTV’s public safety analyst and a former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner, says the video is disturbing, although he agrees with the underlying warning the officer was trying to convey. Lewis says imitation firearms can create extremely dangerous situations, particularly when police are called to reports of someone carrying what appears to be a real firearm. “Police are going to assume an imitation firearm is real until proven otherwise,” Lewis said. He explains that officers responding to a call may have very little information about what they are approaching. If someone points a replica firearm at an officer, the consequences could be fatal. Lewis says a teenager carrying an imitation firearm in public could also potentially face criminal consequences, depending on the circumstances. But he draws a distinction between delivering a firm warning and intimidating a young person. “I think the message that the off-duty officer was giving this young person was a very valid message, but I didn’t think he did it in a very professional way,” Lewis said. He says the officer could have been stern and direct without resorting to repeated profanity or telling the teenager he was going to be killed. The goal, Lewis says, should have been to leave the boy understanding the seriousness of his actions, rather than potentially fearing police. “The right message would have been very calmly to say, you know what? That was really stupid,” Lewis said, describing how he would have approached the situation. He says the teenager should have walked away understanding the potential consequences, while also recognizing that the adult addressing him had acted professionally. RCMP reviewing officer’s conduct The incident has also prompted questions about what, if any, disciplinary consequences the officer could face. Lewis says off-duty officers can still be held accountable for conduct that could bring discredit to the police service. He suggests the incident could result in some form of discipline, although he does not believe the conduct shown in the video would necessarily result in dismissal or demotion. The RCMP has not indicated what steps may follow its review. The force says it is still assessing the circumstances and will not be granting interviews at this time. It also says it cannot identify the officer unless charges are laid, if any, citing privacy protections. For Amodu, the concern goes beyond the confrontation itself. He says the teenager deserves to be treated with dignity, regardless of the poor judgment involved in carrying a toy rifle in public. Lewis agrees that the way police interact with young people can have lasting consequences. He recalls being caught shoplifting as a child and says an officer’s firm but measured response helped him understand the seriousness of what he had done. That experience, he says, taught him a lesson without leaving him terrified of the police. And that may be the central question raised by this Halloween encounter: how do you make a young person understand the very real dangers of carrying a replica firearm without making that young person feel threatened by the very people who are supposed to protect them? With files from CTV News’ Andy Garland
