IIO says Surrey RCMP officer justified in 2023 fatal shooting
Posted February 19, 2024 9:54 am.
Last Updated February 19, 2024 9:30 pm.
A Surrey RCMP officer who shot and killed a man during an arrest last spring was justified in their use of force, B.C.’s police watchdog has found.
The Independent Investigations Office of BC says on April 5, 2023, police were at a housing facility in Surrey when a robbery was reported.
The officers who responded to the area “saw the suspects walking past outside,” at which point a Mountie tackled one of them while another chased after a second person.
The civilian-led police oversight agency says a struggle ensued between the officer and the suspect who was tackled. During the scuffle, the “[affected person] pulled out a loaded semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at [the subject officer]. The IIO says the officer then “responded with two shots,” after which point the suspect was “declared deceased at the scene.”
After reviewing statements, dispatch records, audio and video recordings, and other reports, the watchdog says it has determined the suspect’s “forceful resistance” is what “escalated the encounter.”
The IIO says while the officer hasn’t provided their account and while there is no evidence that the subject “actually intended to do more than threaten” the officer, the “threat in itself provided ample justification, objectively, for [the officer’s] response.” It adds the officer only fired after a gun was pointed at them.
The agency says it will not be referring the matter to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.
