VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s Independent Investigation Office (IIO) has announced it will look into this month’s crash that killed RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett, after learning police had tried to stop the truck that ended up striking her cruiser.
The 32-year-old Mountie died Apr. 5 when a pickup truck collided with her RCMP cruiser at Peatt Rd. and Goldstream Ave. in Langford, about 14 kilometres west of Victoria.
The truck driver, who was injured in the crash, was taken into custody, but later released without any charges.
The IIO’s investigation will be conducted concurrently with the RCMP’s own criminal probe into the crash, while the Saanich Police Department is looking after the collision scene investigation. This means three probes have been launched into the incident.
In a statement Friday afternoon, the IIO said it is “investigating the circumstances leading up to the collision to determine if the actions or inaction of an officer may have contributed to the collision.”
Both the police watchdog and RCMP say they won’t release any further details on the case at this time.
The IIO is asking witnesses to the crash to call its information line at 1-855-446-8477.
The IIO conducts probes into police-related incidents involving death or serious injuries.
On Tuesday, thousands of people attended the regimental funeral for Beckett, in nearby Colwood.
Beckett worked at the West Shore Detachment in the RCMP’s ‘E’ Division. She joined the force in 2005 and spent 11 years in B.C., and had also been posted to the Port McNeill, Langford Municipal, and Colwood detachments.
She is survived by her husband and two sons, ages two and five. She had recently returned from maternity leave.
With files from Jordan Armstrong, Amy Judd and Yuliya Talmazan