One person is dead and B.C.’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), has launched an investigation after an incident near the Merritt RCMP detachment Saturday.
“A man pulled up into a parking lot adjacent to the Merritt detachment. The man got out of the vehicle and shots were fired,” BC RCMP communications director Dawn Roberts said in a statement to media Saturday night.
“When the officers heard the gunshots, they came out of the detachment, saw the man and took cover. Shortly after, the man was located deceased.”
The IIO said, according to police, the man was armed when officers initially spotted him after going outside to investigate the source of the gunshots.
Police said no one else was hurt during the incident which occurred around 4:43 Saturday afternoon.
The IIO said its mandate is to “investigate all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.”
The Independent Investigations Office is appealing for any witnesses to Saturday’s incident to reach out to the IIO at 1-855-446-8477.