IIO Concludes Investigation Into The August 2023 Death of One Man in Mackenzie (2023-248)

IIO Concludes Investigation Into The August 2023 Death of One Man in Mackenzie

INFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release

Surrey, B.C. – The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC has concluded investigation 2023-248 into the death of a man in Mackenzie.

On August 15, 2023, RCMP officers, including the Emergency Response Team, deployed to a rural area to follow up on a previous call involving a man in possession of a weapon and uttering threats toward others.

Officers contained the area for several hours and during that time attempted and spoke to the man on many occasions, some of them lengthy, in an attempt to resolve the situation. All of those attempts were unsuccessful. During one call, the affected person told police he was watching them through his rifle scope.

Police were considering entry into the home, and used two distraction devices prior to doing so. About a minute later, at approximately 10:49 p.m., a loud bang was heard during a call between a police negotiator and the affected person. The affected person was later pronounced deceased at the scene, from what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury.

The IIO was notified the same day and immediately commenced an investigation.

Investigative steps determined no officers discharged their firearms. An autopsy later confirmed the affected person’s injury was self-inflicted.

The IIO investigation found no negligence on the part of the police and that officers’ actions were lawful and not unreasonable under the circumstances.

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.

info@iiobc.ca