An RCMP officer awaiting trial on criminal charges is back on active duty in Chilliwack.
Cpl. Keven Biagioni is "currently operational" but with his duty status "subject to continuous review," according to Const. Vanessa Munn, media relations officer for RCMP's E Division. "He has been at the rank of Corporal since February 2022, and is assigned to Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment."
That update, on the former constable who was promoted to corporal, was provided by Munn, after queries were sent to the local detachment.
Biagioni was charged by the BC Prosecution Service in November 2022 for discharging a firearm with intent, aggravated assault, and careless use of a firearm in connection with an arrest incident on Jan. 12, 2021 for a domestic-violence suspect who had allegedly been holding a weapon.
The charges stemmed from the arrest of David Bardwell who was shot by Biagioni in the torso in the Lickman Road parking lot of the Vedder Rotary Trail.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C., which investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, forwarded the file to prosecutors in June 2022. Charges against Cpl. Biagioni were approved in November 2022 and a first appearance in court was scheduled for December 2022.
The man who was shot in 2021, David Bardwell, also filed a lawsuit against Biagioni, the Minister of Public Safety, and Solicitor General of B.C., and the Attorney General of Canada in 2023. He alleges in the civil suit he had his hands up when he was shot, and was holding a metal shish-kebab skewer.
The charges have not been proven in court but a trial is expected in 2025.
