Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer Joe Smyth enacted a plan in which he orchestrated an encounter with Don Dunphy that gave Smyth the so-called legal opportunity to shoot and kill Dunphy on April 5, 2015.
Dunphy allegedly was making online threats to an individual that was a part of the detail that Smyth was assigned to. Smyth took extreme offense to that and decided to take it upon himself to make sure Dunphy would never be able to carry out those threats. Even though they were simply made out of bureaucratic frustration.
Smyth was aware that Dunphy was in possession of a rifle and that he he was growing cannabis in his home. Smyth had also learned that Dunphy was very protective of his cannabis crop as he needed it for medicinal purposes. By showing up in plain clothes and driving a dark coloured unmarked SUV, Smyth knew that this would cause Dunphy to become suspicious and protective and possibly reach for a weapon to protect himself, which in turn would allow Smyth the opportunity to use lethal force against him.
The fact that Smyth refused assistance from two other uniformed officers before attending Dunphy's residence is proof of this.
The RCMP failed to conduct a proper investigation and acted to protect Smyth instead or prosecuting him as it should have been. But that said, even if the information provided by the RCMP is accurate, Dunphy still had more of a right to shoot and kill Smyth on that fatal evening.
And of course there is the testimony of the two paramedics who were dispatched to the scene. They both testified that the RCMP manipulated the crime scene, including the body of the deceased before taking their photographs. This was obviously done to assist Smyth with evading criminal charges.
Lesson learned? If a resident of Newfoundland & Labrador were to shoot and kill a lone RNC or RCMP officer that attends their residence, that officer would never be able to testify as to what actually occurred.
That's my take away from this event.
GCW
