A man has been charged with attempted murder following an attack on a Kelowna RCMP officer.
On March 26, 2022, at 11:50 p.m., the Kelowna RCMP received an unwanted persons call involving people who were camped on the private property of a building in the 1000-block area of Ellis Street.
Approximately thirty minutes after the call was received, an RCMP officer responded to the call for service and arrived at the rear of the building. The officer found a male related to the call and engaged him in an initial conversation. Within a minute, dispatchers received an emergency notification from the officer’s portable radio, indicating the officer needed immediate assistance. It is alleged, the male produced a knife and attacked the officer resulting in the officer receiving a serious stab wound above their eye. The officer fought to gain control of the suspect while waiting for back up and during this time, discharged their firearm. The suspect was not wounded as a result but began to harm himself with the knife. Multiple frontline officers arrived on scene to assist and the suspect was arrested.
The officer was transported to hospital by EHS with serious, non-life threatening injuries. They have since been treated and released and are recovering at home.
The suspect was transported to hospital with non-life threatening, self-inflicted injuries to his neck and he was committed under the Mental Health Act.
39-year-old Richard McCrea has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault of a police officer, attempt to disarm a police officer, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, and resist arrest. He has been remanded into custody until his next court appearance on April 11, 2022.
Everyday our officers attend calls for service in this community, often dealing with persons who have complex issues which continue to challenge us to support an effective and appropriate response, states Insp. Adam MacIntosh, Operations Officer for the Kelowna RCMP. I would like to thank two citizens who came to the aid of the officer during the attack. As you know police work carries inherent risk and this weekend is a clear example. Our officer was faced with a fight for their life and both their training and resilience prevailed in that alley Sunday morning. Our thoughts are with them and their family.
The investigation is on-going and is being led by the Kelowna RCMP General Investigative Services – Robbery & Assault Unit.
