Alleged suspect in assault on Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson/via Kamloops RCMP
A beer-pouring incident in downtown Kamloops—widely believed to be connected to the 2024 altercation involving Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson—has now been resolved through the Restorative Justice process, the Kamloops RCMP confirmed Friday.
Police have not publicly identified the victim or confirmed whether the file relates to the June 21, 2024 incident at the Blue Grotto nightclub. In an interview Friday with NL’s Paul James, Hamer-Jackson confirmed he participated in the restorative justice process and said the matter involved him directly.
“I wanted to know if the person was dangerous,” the mayor said. “I didn’t know the person, so I wanted to make sure he didn’t have weapons or a criminal record. You want to know if your safety’s at risk.” He said he learned the man had no criminal record and that the incident occurred after a night out with friends. “He made a mistake, he was out with some friends, had some drinks, and he’s got a young family. I met them and he apologized. It was great that we could come to the same page.”
Hamer-Jackson said the session took place at a facility used by restorative justice volunteers and included the individual, his spouse, RCMP officers, and facilitators. “We sat down, we talked about things, and I could ask questions. He gave me a really nice letter of apology—real, from the heart. When I left, I told him he could call me anytime if there were issues or questions in the future.”
He said the session helped him understand the motivations behind the incident. “It was very clear that he was motivated by certain media sources that tell stories in a very biased way. Once I learned that, I felt relieved,” the mayor said. “I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a dangerous person. It was important to me to understand why it happened.”
The mayor also reflected on the broader context of public commentary. “Every day, I hear people on the radio saying I’m bullying, harassing, monitoring people, being creepy. Where’s the proof? I can’t get it. But here we have this situation, and you can see how repeated stories like that could motivate somebody, maybe someone who doesn’t know me, to act—maybe even worse than what happened here.”
Hamer-Jackson said he sees restorative justice as a positive alternative in cases like this. “It saves the RCMP time, court time, and it saves a young person from having a permanent assault charge over a mistake. For serious offenders, it’s different, but for cases like this, it’s really good,” he said.
According to the RCMP, the file—originally reported June 23, 2024—has now concluded, with no further information to be released. Images related to a separate beer-pouring investigation involving the mayor were released publicly in August 2024, though police have never confirmed whether the two matters were connected.
