Woman dead after police shooting in Burnaby, B.C., watchdog says

B.C.’s police watchdog has been called in to investigate after a woman was fatally shot in a residential neighbourhood in Burnaby.

A woman is dead following a police shooting in a residential area of Burnaby, B.C., on Tuesday night, prompting a watchdog investigation.

The Independent Investigations Office said RCMP officers responded to a call involving a “person in distress” at a home near Oxford Street and Carleton Avenue around 8 p.m.

“They encountered one woman who was reportedly in possession of weapons,” the IIO said in a news release Wednesday.

“There was an interaction between the woman and police, and shots were fired by police.”

Witnesses told CTV News they heard shots ring out Tuesday, after which a massive police presence descended on the street.

An ambulance arrived but left without transporting anyone to hospital, they said.

The B.C. RCMP confirmed the woman was pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts from the officers involved in the response.

When they first arrived, the person who had called for help had “left the residence for their own safety,” the RCMP said in a statement.

The officers’ interaction with the woman, which led to the shooting, happened “very shortly” after they made contact with her, according to the statement.

“No one else sustained injuries as a result of the interaction,” the RCMP added.

Speaking to CTV News on Tuesday night, local resident Kerry Ervin described the area as “usually very quiet.”

“When all the police officers swarmed in here so rapidly, it was a little bit frightening,” Ervin said.

The IIO is tasked with investigating every officer-involved incident that results in death or serious harm, regardless of whether there is an allegation of wrongdoing against police.

If the watchdog decides there are reasonable grounds to believe an officer may have committed an offence, it will submit a report to Crown prosecutors for the consideration of charges.

The IIO asked anyone with information or video related to Tuesday’s incident to call its witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or fill out its online contact form.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ben Miljure