B.C.’s police watchdog is looking into an incident in which a man was shot by an officer near Salmo during the execution of a search warrant. RCMP explain that the incident happened on Thursday morning at a property on Ski Hill Road. At around 10:11 a.m., officers encountered the man on the property they were searching, and he fled into a travel trailer after being told he was under arrest. “Over the course of the morning, multiple de-escalation measures were employed in an effort to have the individual exit; however, those efforts were unsuccessful. At one point, an officer observed the man at the entrance of the trailer appearing to hold a weapon. As a result, the officer discharged their firearm,” Staff Sgt. Kris Clark stated, in a release. Police say the man then retreated into the trailer for nearly an hour but eventually exited and was taken into custody and provided “immediate medical care” by attending officers before being airlifted to hospital with serious injuries. RCMP say no officers were injured and add that the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has been notified and will look further into police actions during the incident. At this stage of its investigation, the IIO is working to determine whether the man’s injuries meet the definition of serious harm and, if so, whether there is a connection between the harm suffered and police action or inaction. If both of those conditions are met, the office will continue its investigation to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe any officer may have committed an offence. The IIO has asked anyone who witnessed the incident or has video to call its toll-free line at 1-855-446-8477 or reach out via the contact form on its website. With files from Ian Holliday
