Police-involved shooting in Mission sends one man to hospital

A 33-year-old man is in hospital after being shot by a CP police officer in Mission Wednesday morning.

It happened around 8 a.m., along the CP train tracks near Lougheed Highway and the Abbotsford Mission Highway, according to Mission RCMP.

S/Sgt. Steve Crawford said police were called to the area after “a complaint from the public,” and found the man on the tracks.

There is currently no risk to the public, but Mounties are not releasing any other information about the incident at present, Crawford said.

However, B.C.’s civilian police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), will not be probing the shooting.

IIO chief civilian investigator Ron MacDonald said that’s because the agency isn’t empowered to review rail police.

The IIO is usually called to investigate cases of police use of force when someone is seriously injured or killed.

The Integrated Homicide Investigative Team (IHIT) has been called to scene.

Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Cpl. Frank Jang says the team has been called in because of the unusual circumstances.

Jang says it started with a phone call to 9-1-1 about a man who allegedly stole a knife from a grocery store, then walked into some nearby bushes and headed toward the train tracks behind the store.

Jang says investigators believe an officer with the CP Rail Police Service engaged with the suspect and shots were fired before the suspect fled.

CP Rail has not returned a request for comment.

– With files from Jon Azpiri and The Canadian Press