Driver charged in Kamloops, B.C., crash that killed student, injured several others: RCMP

A man has been charged under the Motor Vehicle Act after an investigation into a multi-vehicle crash in Kamloops, B.C., last year that killed a university volleyball player, RCMP said.

The head coach of the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) men's volleyball team said the family members of victims he spoke with are "understandably outraged" that charges were not laid under the Criminal Code.

Owyn McInnis, 22, was killed, and two of his teammates were seriously injured on Nov. 29, 2023, when their Volkswagen car was hit by an out-of-control Dodge Ram truck and pushed into a busy intersection, causing a vehicle pileup.

Seven other people were hurt in the pileup, three of whom needed hospital care, police said at the time. The crash happened at the intersection of McGill Road and University Drive, near the TRU campus.

Colval Shaquille Abbinett, 29, has been charged with one count of driving without due care and attention and another of driving without reasonable consideration, RCMP said in a statement Monday. 

"We understand that many people have been impacted by this tragedy, and our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and those in the community who have been affected," said Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley. 

"It's important for me to acknowledge the significant work of our investigators, the witnesses, community partners, and the families involved who allowed us to establish the facts and circumstances that resulted in such tragic loss. We remain committed to supporting the families impacted as we advance forward."

Abbinett is scheduled for his first court appearance on Dec. 23.

Kamloops RCMP said after the crash that the driver of the truck remained at the scene and was not impaired by drugs or alcohol.

Families upset at lack of criminal charges

TRU men's volleyball head coach Pat Hennelly said the family members of the TRU players involved in the crash are upset that criminal charges were not approved, given the severity of the incident. 

"[The] collateral damage is immense, and we're talking about traffic offences that sound like if I accidentally went off the curb or wasn't paying attention," Hennelly told CBC News. "And this is more than not paying attention, in my mind." 

He said he believes RCMP conducted a thorough investigation but questions the Crown's decision.  

"We all want to know what the justification for this would be and why there [aren't] further charges. So I think it's hard to have faith in a system that allows this," he said.

McInnis, who was engaged to be married, was pursuing a bachelor of science at TRU.

He was an outside hitter for the TRU WolfPack volleyball team and originally from Guelph, Ont., his mother, Erin Walter, said on social media after the crash.

A scholarship in his memory was set up after his death, according to the TRU athletics department.