IIO Concludes Investigation into a Death in Fort St. John (2022-037)

Case: 2022-037 Incident Date: March 8, 2022 Location: Fort St. John Detachment: Fort St. John Agency: RCMP Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Closed - Without Public Report

INFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release

Surrey, B.C. – The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC has concluded an investigation into a death in Fort St. John.

As detailed in the previous release, at about 7:00 p.m. on March 8, 2022, police responded to a request to check the well-being of a woman who was reported to be in her vehicle, intoxicated and in distress. The woman was located by police in her Dodge Journey at a gas station in the 16900-block of Highway 97, but video footage shows that she quickly drove off heading southbound.

Police vehicle data confirms that police initially followed the vehicle before discontinuing and coming to a stop. A short time later, independent witnesses observed the Journey leave the road and confirmed that they did not see police following the vehicle.

The female driver of the Journey was subsequently pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Chief Civilian Director has reviewed the evidence, including medical records, video footage, police vehicle data, and civilian witness statements, and determined that the actions of police were appropriate and did not contribute to the woman’s tragic death. The IIO investigation is now concluded. The BC Coroners Service independent investigation into the woman’s death continues.

Background

The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.

info@iiobc.ca

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