A young male in B.C.’s Southern Interior is dead after being shot by a police officer early Wednesday.
And now that incident in Creston is being investigated by the province’s police watchdog agency.
On Thursday, the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) said it had started an investigation after being notified by the B.C. RCMP.
According to the IIO, an officer initiated a traffic stop on a black pickup truck that had been parked in a driveway along the 3400 block of View Road.
The IIO said an interaction occurred and the officer discharged their weapon, with the truck then leaving the scene.
The RCMP also released a statement on the incident, which happened at 3:35 a.m.
“As the officer exited his police vehicle, the truck reportedly reversed, striking the officer, who fired his weapon in return,” said the RCMP.
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“At approximately 3:45 a.m., the truck was located in a ditch with the driver suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers provided medical attention until Emergency Health Services arrived.
“The male driver later succumbed to his injuries.”
The IIO said the truck and driver, a youth, were found near Highway 3A and Mather Road.
“Police and Emergency Health Services provided medical assistance, but the youth was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene,” said the IIO.
The watchdog agency also said, “while the RCMP has released additional details, no other information concerning the interaction between police and the truck driver has been independently verified at the time of writing.”
The IIO said its investigators have been deployed to the area, and that anyone with relevant information or video footage regarding the incident is asked to contact their witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on their website.
The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in B.C., and it investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
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