RCMP officer discharges gun hitting RCMP officer near Midway; IIO opens case

An RCMP officer discharged their firearm hitting a fellow officer near Midway on Nov. 26.

The incident has prompted an investigation by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC, which looks into police-related incidents that result in injuries or death.

At around 10:30 a.m. RCMP officers were in the process of following a suspicious F-350 truck. Coordinates were sent to other detachments and air services supported on the ground officers as the vehicle travelled along Highway 33 toward Carmi, south of Kelowna.

Police continued to monitor the truck as it moved through many municipalities and eventually began driving up a forest service road in the Midway area, a town near the U.S. border.

RCMP officers and police dog services attempted to pull the vehicle over and arrest those inside.

“During the arrest a total of two individuals were taken into custody, with one suspect receiving a non-serious dog bite,” RCMP said in a press release.

During the interaction, an officer discharged their firearm “striking” another officer.

The injured RCMP personnel was taken to hospital with a suspected gunshot injury. They have since been released from hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

“Preliminary information at this time has led the RCMP to believe that the gun shot wound to the RCMP member was due to police officer fire,” the release notes.

The same day the IIO was notified and started an investigation.

“Initial investigative steps will seek to confirm the extent of the officer’s injuries and whether or not they meet the threshold of serious harm as defined in Part 11 of the Police Act,” the IIO press release reads.

The Kelowna RCMP will be leading the investigation into the initial suspicious vehicle.

The IIO is asking any person with relevant information of the incident to please contact the Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.