POLICE OFFICER SHOT BY ONE OF HIS OWN

A New Westminster police officer suffered internal injuries Thursday
when he was shot in the abdomen by another police officer in a drug
raid that went terribly wrong.

The injured officer -- who has not been identified -- is expected to
recover, with police crediting the man's bulletproof vest for saving his life.

The details of exactly what happened at a two-storey apartment
building at 727 Fourth Avenue weren't clear Thursday night as police
continued to investigate the matter.

Staff Sgt. Casey Dehaas of the New Westminster police department said
the shooting occurred at about 3:30 p.m. as officers from both the
New Westminster drug unit and the integrated emergency response team
converged on the building to execute a drug warrant.

Sometime during that effort "there was a shot fired," Dehaas said.

Initially police would only confirm that one of their own was in
hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries from a bullet
to his abdomen.

In an update to media shortly after 7 p.m., Dehaas confirmed the shot
came from another officer's weapon.

Dehaas refused to identify the police officer whose weapon was
discharged, commenting, "the officer, to my understanding, is traumatized."

Dehaas said the injured officer was in plainclothes rather than a
police uniform at the time of the shooting. However, he would not say
whether that contributed to any confusion among police.

Dehaas had no information on why guns were drawn in the incident.

"Accidents do happen," he said. "The biggest thing out of this
investigation is [to find out] what happened here. Let's make sure it
doesn't happen again," he said.

The shooting is under investigation by members of the region's
integrated homicide team.

Dehaas said he didn't believe the officer responsible for the
shooting would be suspended, adding the officer was given counselling
support Thursday.

The integrated emergency response team includes officers from New
Westminster, Port Moody, Delta and Abbotsford.

The injured officer was treated at the scene by paramedics, then
taken to Royal Columbian Hospital. "He's going to be okay," Dehaas said.

Dehaas said the bulletproof vest under the officer's shirt prevented
the bullet from doing fatal harm. The shot was still powerful enough,
however, to cause severe bruising and other internal injuries.

The shooting took place at a ground-level apartment at a two-storey
apartment building. The dilapidated yellow building is surrounded by
three- and four-storey apartment buildings in one of New
Westminster's grittier high-density neighbourhoods.

Some neighbours in the area said the apartment was known for illegal
drug activity, involving crack, heroin and speed.

The shooting drew crowds to the area. At one point, as a forensics
team was continuing to collect evidence hours after the incident, a
man drove by and shouted to an officer guarding the front: "Give our
best to your guy!"

Police said several people were taken into custody after the
shooting, but Dehaas did not know whether any charges had resulted.

It was the second time in four years a New Westminster police officer
has been shot.

In March 2003, Const. Brian Knipstrom was shot in the leg after
responding to a 911 call at an apartment building on 11th Street near
Queens Avenue. A second officer was shot in the same incident but was
not injured because his bulletproof vest deflected the bullet.