IIO is Investigating the Death of a Man 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: Open - Investigation in ProgressINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is investigating the circumstances surrounding a death that occurred outside St. Paul’s Hospital in May 2022.
On June 2, 2022, the IIO was notified by the Vancouver Police Department of the death of a man. On May 17, 2022, 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, and 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. 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 a new investigation has now commenced.
Initial investigative steps will seek to confirm if there is any connection between police action or inaction and the man’s death.
The IIO is asking any person with relevant information about the incident to please contact the IIO via the Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or using 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.