B.C.’s police watchdog has absolved Mounties of any responsibility in a Peachland, B.C., incident in which two people were found dead.
The Independent Investigations Office said a caller informed the Mounties at around 4:30 p.m. on June 27 that a person had been shot, and that a second person was planning to hurt themselves at a residence on Garraway Place in Peachland.
Mounties went to the Peachland home and tried to make contact with the people within, though they weren’t successful.
A couple of hours later, at about 6:20 p.m., officers went in and two people were found dead.
“The Chief Civilian Director has reviewed the evidence — including medical and forensic evidence — and determined that police are not responsible for the deaths,” the IIO report states.
“The IIO investigation is now concluded. The BC Coroners Service and police investigations into the deaths continue.”
At the time of the incident, a neighbour, Peter Rintoul, said he watched the intense scene unfold from his home.
“It was very slow moving in the sense of we did hear some gunshots, then we didn’t, and then there was nothing. We did hear them say on the loudspeaker to come out, then nothing happened,” Rintoul said.
Police have not released the identities, but RCMP at the scene said one of the deceased lived at the home and that both people knew each other.
The IIO 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 there is any allegation of wrongdoing.