Prince George police fatally shoot man; IIO investigating
Posted March 17, 2023 6:40 am.
Last Updated March 17, 2023 6:55 am.
The province’s police oversight body has been called into Prince George after a man was shot and killed by police Thursday.
According to the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO), Mounties were called just before 4:45 p.m. after reports of a “distraught man” reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis.
Police say the man was found in a vehicle on Highway 97.
A critical incident commander and emergency health services were called in and staged nearby.
The IIO says an “interaction” occurred between the man and Prince George RCMP officers outside of the vehicle, which police say resulted in “the officer firing his weapon.”
“The man was shot and police provided medical attention until Emergency Health Services arrived,” the IIO said in a statement, adding he later died of his injuries.
The IIO notes as the death is now under investigation, no further details will be provided.
The death comes as two Prince George Mounties have been charged with manslaughter in the death of an Indigenous man in police custody six years ago.
The BC Prosecution Service says constables Paul Ste-Marie and Jean Francois Monette have been charged with manslaughter, while three of their fellow officers are charged with attempting to obstruct justice.
