KTW CHRISTMAS CHEER FUND ENTERS THE FINAL STRETCH • PAGE A13
KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK TUESDAY
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DECEMBER 27, 2016 | Volume 29 No. 156
Mountie savouring every day — even the cold ones STAFF REPORTER
H
tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
Cpl. Jean-Rene Michaud is again working as a Mountie after being shot several times during a traffic stop in Batchelor Heights in December 2014. He said being back on the job has been a blessing.
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e would be lying if he told you he wasn’t a little nervous about the next time he will have to conduct a traffic stop. RCMP Cpl. J.R. Michaud is back working as an officer, but he is not yet out policing city streets. He returned to fulltime police work in April, about a year-anda-half after being struck by multiple bullets during a Kamloops vehicle stop. “I’ve pulled over, in my 14 years of service, thousands and thousands of cars,” Michaud told KTW in his only media interview since being shot. “So, is the first one going to be nervewracking? Probably. “When that happens, there’s steps I have to follow — including doing mock training and stuff like that.
“There’s ways to make it easier.” On Dec. 3, 2014, Kenneth Knutson fired six shots at Michaud during a traffic stop on a residential street in Batchelor Heights. At least two bullets struck Michaud. Knutson was arrested at the end of a manhunt that lasted more than 12 hours and later pleaded guilty to attempted murder.
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two, Michaud admitted the thought of leaving policing crossed his mind during his recovery, but it was fleeting. “It was not for very long,” he said. “And, if I did, it would have been for physical limitations and not because I wanted to. “As soon as they told me I’d be capable, I was coming back.” Michaud said Dec. 3
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In March, he was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison. Michaud was in a coma for more than three days following the shooting. Initially, doctors weren’t sure if he would survive — let alone return to policing. The 42-year-old corporal returned to work on a casual basis in February and full-time two months later.
“It was 437 days, but nobody’s counting,” he said. “A lot of it was in the hospital, but after that, lots of support within the force and in the community. It’s not like I was at home by myself,” he said. “It’s time I needed to get better, but once it was over, I was glad to get back to a normal life.” A married father of
will forever be a special day for him. “I’ll never forget the third,” he said. “It’s, to me, a time of year to be grateful and appreciate everything I have in life because, I would have lost everything I had, just like that. “I came so close to not being able to enjoy this cold weather we have. So, no, it’s definitely not a normal day.”
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Since October, Michaud has been working in an administrative role at the RCMP’s Central Interior Traffic Services office in Kamloops. He said being back on the job has been a blessing. “The normalcy is nice,” he said. “Because it sucked.” Michaud told KTW the recovery process was a long ordeal.
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