Police had no choice but to shoot Matthew Dumas, an expert on the use of force testified Thursday at the inquest into the 2005 police shooting that killed the Winnipeg teen.
RCMP Cpl. Greg Gillis testified that both officers on either side of Dumas in the last few minutes of his life put themselves at significant risk as they struggled to control the 18-year-old.
Police had been pursuing Dumas as a suspect in a robbery. The inquest heard earlier that he was later cleared of involvement in the crime.
The teen was carrying a screwdriver in a manner officers testified they found threatening. In earlier testimony, police and civilian witnesses said Dumas continued to approach officers despite repeated warnings and being pepper sprayed by officers.
Gillis said Det. Const. Jonathan Mateychuk, who first pursued Dumas, put himself at increased risk when he tried to close the gap between himself and Dumas in order to be close enough to use pepper spray in the moments before the shooting.
Some civilian eyewitnesses have testified that they wondered why officers did not attempt to tackle Dumas.
At no time was tackling Dumas an option, Gillis said Thursday. Police are trained not to attempt to tackle suspects, because it could leave them struggling on the ground with their weapons belt exposed, he explained.
Const. Dennis Gburek, who fired the fatal shots, also put himself at risk by waiting so long to discharge his firearm, Gillis said.
Gburek testified that Dumas was less than two metres from him, still carrying the screwdriver, when he fired the shots.
At that point, the officer had no option but to fire his weapon, Gillis said.
An internal review of the shooting cleared police of wrongdoing. Two external reviews later confirmed those findings.
The inquest, which is required under Manitoba law whenever someone dies in police custody, is expected to wrap up this week.