IIO is Seeking Witnesses to an Incident in Penticton (2020-184)
Case: 2020-184 Incident Date: July 31, 2020 Location: Penticton Detachment: Penticton Agency: RCMP Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Closed - Without Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. – The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC is investigating an incident in Penticton.
Information provided by the RCMP on July 30, 2020 indicates that earlier that day at approximately 8:00 p.m., officers responded to a call for assistance from a residence in the 900-block of Burnaby Avenue. An elderly woman was observed outside of her home by bystanders who called the police, concerned for her welfare. Officers attended and spoke to the woman, then departed.
On July 31 at approximately 11:00 a.m., the woman was found deceased in her home.
The IIO will investigate to determine what role, if any, the officer’s actions or inaction may have played in the incident. The BC Coroners Service is also conducting an independent investigation to determine how, where, when and by what means she came to her death.
The IIO requests that any person who saw, heard, or recorded the incident 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.