BURSTBritish Columbia’s police watchdog is investigating an officer-involved shooting near Salmo, where a man was seriously injured.
According to a Sept. 4 BC RCMP statement, officers from the RCMP Southeast District Emergency Response Team were assisting Creston RCMP in the execution of a search warrant on Ski Hill Road on Sept. 3 at approximately 10:11 a.m. when the incident occurred.
RCMP said officers encountered a man on the property who fled into a travel trailer after being told he was under arrest.
Officers reported using multiple de-escalation measures over the course of the morning to get the man to exit the trailer. However, those efforts were unsuccessful.
“At one point, an officer observed the man at the entrance of the trailer appearing to hold a weapon,” said RCMP. “As a result, the officer discharged their firearm.”
The man then retreated back into the trailer before eventually exiting without further incident nearly an hour later.
Upon exiting, the man was taken into custody and received immediate medical care from officers before being transported to a local hospital, according to police.
BC RCMP notified the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) of the incident.
The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency that investigates all incidents involving officers that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
According to the IIO, the man was later transported by air ambulance to another hospital.
BC RCMP confirmed the IIO has assumed conduct of the investigation into police actions related to this incident.
The surrounding area has been secured to support the investigation.
The IIO is seeking witnesses of the incident as well as video footage — including from cell phones.
As the matter is now under investigation by the IIO, police say they will not release further information.