Prosecutors double-down, no criminal charges in fatal Kamloops crash

Another review of the investigation into a fatal 2023 collision in Kamloops has ended with no criminal charges for the driver. A public outcry led the BC Prosecution Service to review the investigation and previous decision to charge the alleged driver with two offences https://infotel.ca/newsitem/no-criminal-charges-in-deadly-2023-kamloops-crash/it107279 under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act. "The circumstances of this case are tragic. One young adult lost his life, and two others were catastrophically injured," reads a BC Prosecution Service media release issued, Dec. 6. All three men were members of the Thompson Rivers University men's volleyball team. Owyn McInnis was killed in the crash after a Dodge Ram hit their car on McGill Road on Nov. 29, 2023. Two teammates, Riley Brinnen and Owen Waterhouse, have gone through lengthy recoveries. On Nov. 25, an "extensive" RCMP investigation ended with a Crown approval of charges for driving without due care and attention and driving without reasonable consideration of others. A "senior-level review" found that "the available evidence supports" the same charges, the prosecution service said. Crown cited previous court decisions that set the bar for criminal prosecution of dangerous driving. "These cases make it clear that the Crown’s burden to prove the accused’s mental state is not diminished by how devastating the consequences of the driving behaviour are. It would not serve the justice system, the victims, nor the public for the Crown to pursue charges that are not supported by the available evidence," the release reads. The prosecution service went on to say only a "portion" of the evidence has been reported publicly. No new information about the case was provided in the release, but Crown said there was more considered when landing on the appropriate charges. "As such, the facts reported in the media and shared publicly are incomplete and present only a partial picture of what had to be considered," the release reads. The accused, Colvall Abbinett, is scheduled to appear in a Kamloops courtroom on Dec. 23. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .