RCMP need safety plan

A call for more police protections is being made in the wake of heart-wrenching testimony from a Kelowna Mountie who was injured during what was expected to be a routine call.

Const. Jason Tymofichuk testified this week about a March 26, 2022 attack he suffered, allegedly at the hands of Richard McCrae, who is on trial for attempted murder.

“The Kelowna RCMP Member was stabbed and almost lost their life in March 2022, following a relatively routine call about a disturbance outside of a downtown shelter," Brian Sauvé, president and chief executive officer of the National Police Federation, said in a statement.

McCrae, a man described by multiple witnesses throughout the first part of the trial as a gentle giant suffering from mental health issues that appeared more pronounced on the night of the alleged altercation, is accused of slashing Tymofichuk's face with a knife.

He had been asked to disassemble a tent set up outside the supportive housing where he lived, the court heard. When he refused, support workers called police and Tymofichuk arrived alone.

He's charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault of an officer, disarming an officer, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and willfully resisting an officer.

"The officer responded to the call alone where he was attacked by the accused," Sauvé said. "We are grateful he was able to physically ward off the attacker despite his serious injuries and pain. Far too many similar police attacks in recent years have resulted in the killing of an officer."

The union said it's a lack of social supports and police resources that contributed to this situation and they'd like to see a future government to immediately implement a fulsome public safety plan.

That plan, according to the union, must include $250 million in funding for more police officers and equipment, smart bail initiatives to bolster community safety, and social services to provide a more robust public safety continuum.

"Our deep respect and hearts are with the injured member and his family, and to all those who responded to the urgent call for help following this attack," Sauvé said.

"Your professionalism saved a life that day, and potentially others as well.”

After the initial conflict, Tymofichuk told the court he remembered seeing the blue and red lights reflected in the sky when backup arrived that night. He heard sirens and saw McCrae taken down with tasers, then into custody.

"I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. So I collapsed to the ground," Tymofichuk said Tuesday.

"I was on my hands and knees, and I could just see my own blood pooling in front of me, onto the pavement.”

His coworker started doing first aid and he was transferred to the hospital.

The healing journey that started that day, however, wasn’t short or easy.

Tymofichuk testified that, once in the hospital, he received pain killers and a CT scan.

"I believe (doctors) told me that I had an arterial bleed behind the eye,” he said.

“They were worried about it, so they did a procedure where they cut the muscles on the right side of my eye socket and made an incision of my forehead to relieve some of the pressure.”

As a result of that injury, today he deals with nerve damage to the side of his face and head, which carries through the right side of his lip and mouth.

There's a large scar on the right side of his forehead, and he has limited mobility in his right eyebrow.

“If I go under water, I have a hard time closing my eye and keeping it water tight,” he noted.

And there are other, less physical effects that linger.

“I was diagnosed with severe PTSD, depression and anxiety,” he said. “I partake in multiple different therapies, to be able to function, to continue the work that I do, and to be able to socialize with my family as well as people in general.”

The National Police Federation represents 20,000 Mounties across Canada and internationally.