IIO Concludes Investigation into Death in Vancouver (2023-323)
Case: 2023-323 Incident Date: May 17, 2022 Agency: Municipal Location: Vancouver Detachment: Vancouver Police Department Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Closed - Without Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC has now completed its investigation into the circumstances surrounding a death of a man outside St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver in May 2022 (2023-323).
On May 17, 2022, the affected person, a man, who had recently been discharged from St. Paul’s Hospital refused to leave the hospital property and was escorted away by hospital security.
A short time later, the man suffered self-inflicted injuries. Police already at the hospital regarding an unrelated matter were called and administered medical assistance until ambulance and fire services arrived. The man subsequently died on May 28, 2022.
On June 2, 2022, the IIO was notified by the Vancouver Police Department of the man’s death.
Based on information available at the time, the IIO’s initial investigation (2022-130) was concluded on June 3, 2022.
On October 31, 2023, the IIO received new information from the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner and began a new investigation.
The Chief Civilian Director has now reviewed the evidence – including witness statements, video footage and medical records – and determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer may have committed an offence in relation to the man’s death.
The IIO investigation is now concluded.
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.