British Columbia’s police watchdog is investigating after a man was shot and seriously injured by an RCMP officer early Sunday morning.
The Independent Investigations Office says the shooting happened at approximately 3:15 a.m. when a Mountie stopped a black Ford pickup truck near the intersection of 86 Street and 97 Avenue in a residential area of Fort St. John.
Sgt. Vanessa Munn of the B.C. RCMP says in a statement that there were two people inside the truck, including one who was believed to have outstanding warrants.
The passenger exited the truck “reportedly armed with a weapon,” Munn said. “An ensuing interaction between the officer and suspect resulted in the officer discharging their firearm.”
The injured man was taken to hospital with what police described as serious, life-threatening injuries. No one else was injured in the altercation, police said.
The IIO, which investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing by police, says it was notified shortly after the shooting and opened an investigation.
The agency says it is working to determine whether the man’s injuries meet the criteria for “serious harm,” and, if so, whether there is a connection between the injuries and the actions or inactions of police.
Under the provincial Police Act, “serious harm” is defined as an injury that may result in death, disfigurement or loss of function of a limb or organ.
“If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred,” the police oversight agency said in a statement.
“At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred.”
The RCMP said it will not release any further information about the incident while the matter is still under investigation by the police watchdog.