IIO is Seeking Witnesses to the February Death of a Man in Shawnigan Lake (2026-060)

Case: 2026-060 Incident Date: February 22, 2026 Agency: RCMP Location: Shawnigan Lake Detachment: Shawnigan Lake Incident Classification: Death 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 seeking witnesses to the death of one man that occurred near Shawnigan Lake on February 23, 2026.

Initial information states that around 11:15 p.m. on February 21, a man was driving a grey Volvo in Mill Bay, near the intersection of Highway 1 and Frayne Road, when he was involved in a motor vehicle incident.

Members of the RCMP arrived and impounded the man’s vehicle following an impaired driving investigation.

On the afternoon of February 23, the man was found deceased inside a residence near the Malahat Highway (Highway 1) from what is believed to be a self-inflicted injury.

The IIO was notified about the incident by the man’s family in March of 2026 and commenced an investigation to look at what occurred in the time leading up to the man’s death, including the interaction with the police.

The IIO is asking anyone who witnessed the man’s interaction with police on February 21 to call the IIO.

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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