A man is dead and a police oversight agency is investigating after an incident in West Vancouver earlier this week. Officers from the West Vancouver Police Department were called to the Cypress Creek area of Highway 99 near Strachan Point Road around 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 3, according to a Friday statement from the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. Callers reported that a man was at that location “trying to jump in front of southbound vehicles,” the IIO said. “Officers from the WVPD responded to the scene and attempted to engage with the affected person (AP),” the statement reads. “The AP fled into the bush/ravine area.” Officers searched the area with a police dog, and the Canadian Coast Guard was also called in to help locate the man, the IIO said, adding that he was “recovered from Howe Sound north of 1 Strachan Point Rd. a short time later.” “Despite life-saving efforts by B.C. Emergency Health Services, the man was pronounced deceased,” the statement reads. The IIO is tasked with investigating all incidents involving police officers in B.C. that result in death or serious injury to a member of the public, regardless of whether there is any allegation of wrongdoing on the part of police. IIO investigators are now asking anyone who witnessed this incident or has video evidence of what happened to contact them. At the start of its investigation, the IIO will work to determine if there is a connection between the man’s death and any officer’s actions or inaction. If such a connection exists, the investigation will continue. Otherwise, it will be closed. Anyone with information regarding this incident should call the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or use the contact form on the office’s website, the IIO said.
