Home / Crime and Justice / Officer Praised After Fatal Encounter with Attacker
Officer Praised After Fatal Encounter with Attacker
9 Jan
Summary
- Man wielding machete attacked passengers before police encounter.
- Officer Zinn praised for exceptional restraint during dangerous incident.
- Inquest found no policy changes could have prevented the outcome.
On December 15, 2021, Marlon Whincup died from a gunshot wound to the neck following a violent encounter with police near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The incident began when Whincup attacked passengers in a vehicle with a machete before being located by RCMP.
Whincup then engaged Corporal Michael Zinn, aggressively attacking Zinn's unmarked vehicle with the machete. Despite repeated, non-lethal attempts to de-escalate, Whincup continued his assault. Zinn then discharged his firearm, fatally wounding Whincup.
An inquest report commended Corporal Zinn's actions, citing his exceptional restraint and professionalism. The report concluded that the circumstances were highly dangerous and unpredictable, and no policy or procedural changes could have reasonably prevented the fatal outcome.
