Warning: This story contains references to suicide. The death of a man who fell from Vancouver’s Granville Street Bridge earlier this month was not related to the actions or inaction of police officers, a watchdog has determined. The incident unfolded on the morning of Oct. 18, when police received a report of a man outside the safety railing on the downtown end of the busy crossing. The first officer to arrive tried speaking with the man, but he fell to his death “almost immediately,” the Independent Investigations Office said in a news release Friday. “The chief civilian director has reviewed the evidence collected by IIO investigators—including witness statements, radio transmissions and police reports—and has determined that there is no connection between police actions or inaction and the man’s death,” the IIO said. Another fatal fall that took place back in May remains under investigation. Meanwhile, there have been renewed calls for suicide-prevention fencing on the Granville Street Bridge, similar to what’s already in place on the neighbouring Burrard Street Bridge. Earlier this year, the outgoing city council voted to cut funding for planned precautionary barriers on the bridge from Vancouver’s capital plan for 2027-2030—though officials said the fencing remains part of the city’s long-term plan for upgrading the bridge. There were 21 suicide “incidents” on the crossing between 2019 and 2024, six of them fatal, according to a motion calling for suicide fencing that was brought forward two years ago. There have been zero suicide deaths on the Burrard Street Bridge since barriers were installed there in 2017, according to the Crisis Centre of B.C. If you or someone you know is in crisis or struggling with mental illness, here are some resources that are available: Canada Suicide Crisis Helpline (Call or text 988) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (1-800-463-2338) Crisis Services Canada (Call 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645) Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) If you need immediate assistance, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.
