Man sues Mountie in alleged shooting

A man from Boyle has launched a $540,000 lawsuit against an RCMP officer for allegedly shooting and injuring him during a vehicle stop.

Luke Leonard Huppie alleges RCMP Const. Jason Clace fired his gun three times, hitting Huppie in the back and shoulder and leaving him in “constant pain” that “will likely require surgery,” says his statement of claim, filed with the Court of Queen’s Bench Sept. 20.

None of the allegations have been proven in court. A statement of defence has yet to be filed.

Clace already faces criminal charges for the same Sept. 23, 2011, incident. The charges arose after the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team investigated the case and concluded Clace had allegedly fired more than once from his service weapon while in pursuit of a suspect vehicle near Boyle, hitting Huppie, who was the driver, in the shoulder. No one else hurt.

Clace, whose case has yet to go to trial, is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm; discharging a firearm with intent to wound, maim or disfigure; aggravated assault; use of a firearm while committing an indictable offence; and careless use of a firearm. The RCMP officer was put on administrative duty during the investigation and his superiors reviewed his status after the charges were laid. The results of that review are unknown.

Huppie also faces charges from the day of the shooting, including: driving while unauthorized, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and displaying an unauthorized licence plate.