A man who rammed a police vehicle at an RCMP detachment and was shot by police has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in April.
On the morning of May 12, 2023, Lunden Taylor Howard drove into the parking lot of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP and rammed a marked police SUV, injuring an officer in the midst of a routine vehicle inspection.
Howard was then shot and wounded by another officer.
The shooting was captured in a dramatic video by a resident of a neighbouring apartment building on Canada Avenue.
On Monday, court records show Howard pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm and a charge of assault by choking for an incident earlier that morning in Esquimalt.
A pre-sentence report and psychiatric assessment have been ordered and Howard is scheduled to appear in Duncan Provincial Court on April 7 for sentencing.
In May of 2023, the Independent Investigations Office began reviewing the actions of the police officer involved in the shooting.
In October of that year, the IIO said the evidence, which included video footage and medical records, showed that Howard did not sustain serious harm as defined by the Police Act, and its investigation had concluded.
