DAWSON CREEK - BC’s police watchdog has cleared RCMP officers of any wrongdoing, after a man died during an armed stand-off in Dawson Creek in November of 2023.
The Independent Investigations Office of BC (I.I.O.) said Ryan Beaulieu exchanged gunfire with police from inside a house on 10th Street. Three women were inside the home at the time but managed to escape.
The I.I.O. report said that during the period from November 16th to the 18th of 2023, police were looking for Beaulieu because he was wanted on several outstanding warrants for firearms offences.
On November 18th, police received a tip that he was inside a residence on 10th Street and had a loaded shotgun.
The Emergency Response Team from Prince George arrived at the scene and a lengthy standoff ensued. Police established phone contact with Beaulieu, who at one point said, he would rather die than go back to jail.
At the time sources told CJDC TV News that Beaulieu live-streamed part of the standoff on Facebook. During the live-stream he told viewers that he wasn’t going to be taken alive.
Throughout the early morning hours of November 19th, Beaulieu shot at police three separate times.
Police tried to distract Beaulieu with load noises while throwing an unknown chemical into the house.
At 8:04am, Beaulieu told police that he was ready to come out of the house. That was followed by the sound of a shot gun. Beaulieu had shot and killed himself.
An autopsy confirmed that Beaulieu’s cause of death was a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
The I.I.O. is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
The report said that the officers involved acted in a legal manner and were trying to arrest Beaulieu on a number of outstanding warrants. It goes on to say, that over a lengthy period of time, that police tried to resolve the matter with a peaceful conclusion.
As a result, the officers involved in the standoff have been cleared of any wrongdoing and charges will not be considered.
Beaulieu had a long criminal history. He was found guilty of the murder of Wesley Lulu-Gladue in 2011. He was also the main suspect in the death of Tim Guy in May of 2022.