ManitobaThe sister of Tammy Bateman says she has no faith in the work being done by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba after learning no charges will be laid against a police officer who struck and killed her sister while driving near an encampment. Police watchdog recommends no charges after Tammy Bateman was killed by cruiser in 2024Dave Baxter · CBC News · Posted: Oct 23, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoTammy Bateman died in hospital after being struck by a Winnipeg police cruiser driving through Fort Rouge Park on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. This week the IIU announced they will not recommend charges against the officer who was operating the vehicle. (Submitted by Lori Bateman)The sister of Tammy Bateman says she has no faith in the work being done by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba after learning no charges will be laid against a police officer who struck and killed her sister while driving near an encampment. “One of my reactions was I was very pissed off that there were no charges laid whatsoever,” Lori Bateman said. “And the other reaction was I was very upset for myself and for my family.“My nerves are really shaking right now about the whole thing. I don’t agree with it. I don’t agree with the results.”Manitoba’s police watchdog announced Wednesday it is not recommending any charges for officers, after Tammy Bateman was struck by a police vehicle as it was driving through Fort Rouge Park on the night of Sept. 2, 2024, while officers were taking a person back to the encampment after dealing with an outstanding warrant. Bateman, who was in her 30s at the time, and a member of the Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation, was taken to hospital, where she later died of her injuries. An autopsy report confirmed Bateman’s cause of death was blunt trauma from being run over by a vehicle, according to the final report from the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, released Wednesday.In the report, acting civilian director Bruce M. Sychuk wrote that he believes the officer who ran Bateman over did not commit a criminal offence, instead calling the situation an “unfortunate accident.”Lori Bateman said she and her family have been left devastated by the decision, and she has little confidence in the work the IIU does to investigate police conduct. Lori Bateman says she has no faith in the work being done by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba after learning charges won’t be laid against a police officer who struck and killed her sister Tammy while driving near an encampment last year. (Travis Golby/CBC)“I think that they’re all for the police,” Lori said. “They all stick together, and I don’t think that they were for my sister at all.”The IIU’s report says the woman was intoxicated, wearing dark clothing and lying on her stomach when she was struck. One witness told the watchdog the cruiser had been moving “slower than a walk,” and another reported the woman was dragged by the vehicle.The report says the officers heard a thump and someone outside yelled an expletive. The officers got out of the cruiser and administered first aid.Lori said although the officers did not intend to hit her sister, she questions why they were driving a vehicle through a park at night, where they knew there were people living in an encampment. “I don’t agree that they should have went down there,” she said. “Why did they not walk down there when it was just at the top of the hill, and there was a parking lot right there?”She said she believes there needs to be changes to how the IIU operates and she is asking for more Indigenous representation on the unit. “They do need more Indigenous people who work with the IIU and with the police force,” she said. Despite living with challenges, Lori says she wants her sister to be remembered as much more than a person that was living in an encampment“My sister was a very sweet, kind person,” she said. “She would give the shirt off her back like anybody else would. She never did anything wrong to anybody.“Her lifestyle doesn’t define who she is, she still didn’t deserve to be hit by the police and killed.”Despite the decision Lori said she will continue to look for legal avenues to get justice for her sister and look to continue bringing attention to the tragic incident. ‘There’s going to be consequences’“What I have to say is, there’s going to be consequences,” she said. “I’m gonna try and find the right legal way to do it, but I’m gonna, I’m coming after them.”She is now also asking all Winnipeggers to show compassion for those dealing with addictions and homelessness and those who are living in encampments. “Just have an open heart,” she said. “Our relatives are down there and they struggle every day and it’s a lot of them, and it’s not their fault.“Just have an open mind and an open heart to our relatives that have to live in the encampments.”CBC has reached out to the Independent Investigation Unit for comment and is awaiting a response. ABOUT THE AUTHORDave Baxter is an award-winning reporter and editor currently working for CBC Manitoba. Born and raised in Winnipeg, he has also previously reported for the Winnipeg Sun and the Winnipeg Free Press, as well as several rural Manitoba publications.
Decision not to charge police who fatally ran over woman in Winnipeg park leaves sister angry, frustrated
