Man dead, woman injured after police shooting in Thompson

One man is dead and a woman is seriously injured after anofficer opened fire on themSaturday morning, RCMP say.

It happened near Thompson, Man., around 2 a.m. during a routine traffic stop after reports of an erraticdriver. OnceRCMPfoundthe vehiclea brief chase ensued.

The vehicle eventually pulled over. The RCMP officer got out of his cruiser and approached the vehicle.

That's when the driver stepped on the gas, accelerating andstriking the officer,RCMP said. The officer then fired hisgun.

5 people in the vehicle at time of shooting

The male driver of the vehicle died at the scene. A woman who was a passenger in the vehicle was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) of Manitoba confirmed there were three additional passengers in the vehicle.

A second woman sustained minor injuries that weren't related to the shooting, the IIU said. She wastreated and released from the hospital.

Theother two passengers weren't injured, the IIU said.

The officer involvedwas treated for minor injuries in hospital and has since been released.

IIU investigators remained on the scene of the shooting in Thompson into the evening Saturday.

The IIU of Manitoba isinvestigating the incident, as it does in all seriouscases involving police officers.