HALIFAX - Halifax police say they're not to blame for any delays related to the RCMP's disciplinary review of an officer who fatally shot a Nova Scotia man.
But the national force says it was never critical of the length of time the Halifax police took to conduct their external investigation into the shooting.
A Halifax police investigation cleared an RCMP constable of any criminal wrongdoing in the 2008 shooting of John Simon, but there was no disciplinary review of his actions.
The Mounties say they didn't launch the review within one year as it's required to by law because they were waiting for the Halifax police investigation to finish.
The Halifax force issued a statement earlier today to counter any perception that it is somehow their fault that the RCMP did not launch the review.
Halifax police say their investigation was lengthy and complex -- but in no way did it prevent the RCMP from launching their own internal investigation into the officer's actions.
The Halifax force says it agrees with the R-C-M-P's own assessment that there is a gap in the way the Mounties handled Simon's death.
Later, the RCMP also issued a statement, saying it never criticized the amount of time Halifax police took to complete their probe.
