November 22. 1992

Christmas Window
on the North Shore

Distribution 966-1337

4 . .
NEWS photo Mike Wakatield

IN SEPTEMBER a two-storey house was demolished below the Deibrook property of Harry Mayor and a
new ‘‘monster home’ is now nearing completion in its place. The North Vancouver District resident says
the structure has devalued his own home by as much as $85,000. See page three for story.

Lawyer charges that botched police drug raid c st Daniel Possee his fi

would

NORTH Vancouver man who was Fatally shot by police

du

ng a May 12 drug raid might still be alive today if the

officer in charge of the operation had done his job proper-

ty, the lawyer for the dead man’:

Danicl Possee. 22, the son of
former Vancouver Whitecaps soc-
cer star Derek Possee, was strot by
West Vancouver Police drug
squad member Tim Pollitt on the
night of May 12 as the police «
executing @ search warrant,

Possce had been target shootin
with a pellet rifle when the police
burst unannounced into his North
Vancouver basement suite al 129
East 26th St.

The police testified at a cor-
oner’s inquest into his death this
week that Possee had turned and

famils

charged Frid

y Surj Rattan

ws Reporter

pointed the pelle hain thei di
rection. They also believed the
pellet rifle te be a shotgun,

Pollites partner, Cpl Dote
Bruce, was in charge of the drug
raid on the night of the shooting.

On Friday, he testified that his
job was to open the unlocked
door to the basement suite and
then step back while the entry

team, made up of Pollitt and
Nord Vancouver ROMP officers,
woukl rush inte the suite,

But under cross-esumination by
Derek Corrigan, the lawyer for
the Possee family, Bruce admitted
that the oirug raid dif net gous
planned.

“The was uo worked, or should
hase worked. is that Twas co open
me door, and othe entry
would have vone in, We never
tume to enter the suite.

“P opened the door from the
left-hand side and Pollitt was on
the right-hand side. | was shocked
and stunned by what f saw. Nor-
mally, you get out oof the way
whee the entry team enters,” said
Bruce.

But Corrigan told Bruce that he
vot in the way of the entry team:
if he had not, Corrigan charged.
then Polite mighe ve been able
fo subdue Possee before a shot
was fired.

SHE sou tad dane year job and
got out of the w then constable
Pollitt md hi on top of
the individual, orrigan,

oNo, that's not correct at all,**

hed Bruce.

f was shocked at what 1} saw,
fr tpok me totally by surprise, Mr.
Possee didn't look up, he simply
turned and pointed the rifle at my
head.

“To had no time to react. |
didn’t react. Hit Graid) had gone
right, after 1 yelled “police, search

warrant,” Uhe ent team
have gone in
to step bac

But Core

There was bo time
said Bruce.

pn told Bruce that if
there was Cine for Possee to turn
and point his pellet gun in Bruce's

direction, then there was time for

to step out of the we
the entry tea.

“You didn’t do what you were
supposed to do even theugh you
ure a trained o tr, did you
said Corrigan.

nder the oc
did.”* replied Bruc

The inquest

resume next April.

umstances, 1

scheduled to