IIO is Investigating an Incident in Duncan (2020-170)
Case: 2020-170 Incident Date: July 16, 2020 Location: North Cowichan/Duncan Detachment: North Cowichan/Duncan Agency: RCMP Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Closed - With Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. – The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC is investigating an incident in Duncan.
Information provided by the RCMP indicates that on July 15, 2020 at approximately 4:30 p.m., officers arrested a man for public intoxication and transported him to RCMP cells. He was released the following morning on July 16. Later that day, the man was found deceased at an address in the 2500-block of Lewis Street.
The IIO will investigate to determine what role, if any, the officers’ actions or inaction may have played in the death of the man. The BC Coroners Service is also conducting an independent investigation to determine how, where, when and by what means he came to his death.
The IIO is asking that any person who saw or spoke to the man on July 16, 2020 to contact the IIO 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 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.