IIO is Investigating an Incident in Vancouver (2021-113)
Case: 2021-113 Incident Date: May 1, 2021 Agency: Municipal Location: Vancouver Detachment: Vancouver Police Department 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 Vancouver.
Information provided by the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) indicates that on May 1, 2021 at approximately 8:55 a.m., a woman was arrested in the 500-block of Powell Street and was transported to VPD cells.
At about 12:00 p.m. the same day, the woman was found to be unresponsive in her cell. Life-saving measures were attempted by police and Emergency Health Services, but those efforts were not successful, and the woman was pronounced dead.
The IIO will investigate to determine what role, if any, officers may have played in the woman’s death.
The IIO is asking any person with relevant information of the incident to please contact the 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.