IIO Investigating Incident in Vancouver (2026-210)

Case: 2026-210 Incident Date: August 29, 2026 Agency: Municipal Location: Vancouver Detachment: Vancouver Police Department Incident Classification: Serious Harm Case Status: Open - Investigation in Progress

INFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release

Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is investigating an incident that occurred in Vancouver.

At approximately 8:00 p.m. on August 29, Vancouver Police Department officers responded to a request from an out-of-province family member to conduct a wellness check on a man believed to be in distress. Police were unable to locate the man at the time of the request.

Later that evening, at approximately 9:45 p.m., officers responded to reports of a man in possession of a knife who was standing on the railing of the Cambie Street Bridge. Officers spoke with the affected person (AP), who moved to the outside of the bridge railing.

Vancouver Police negotiators attempted to communicate with the AP and determined that he was the subject of the earlier wellness check. At approximately 10:15 p.m., he fell to the sidewalk below and sustained serious injuries. He was transported to a local hospital for assessment and treatment.

The IIO was notified shortly after the incident occurred and launched an investigation.

There are two factors that the IIO considers at the beginning of each investigation:

  1. If there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, or a death; and
  2. If there is a connection between the serious harm/death and officer action or inaction.

If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred.

The IIO asks that any witnesses who have information regarding this matter to please contact the IIO at our Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.

Background

The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of officers and detention guards in British Columbia. It investigates all incidents involving officers or detention guards that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
info@iiobc.ca

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