IIO Seeking Witnesses to Incident in Quesnel (2026-086)

INFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release

Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is seeking witnesses to an incident that occurred in Quesnel on April 15, 2026.

Initial information provided by the RCMP states that around 4:30 p.m., police received a call about gunshots at a residence in the 500 block of Nason Street and a man reportedly in possession of a firearm.

Officers, including members of the Emergency Response Team (ERT), responded and set up containment around the area, instructing people nearby to remain indoors.

Police later entered the residence and located one man who was suffering from a gunshot wound that appeared to be self-inflicted.

The man was then taken by ambulance to a hospital for assessment and treatment.

The IIO was notified shortly after the incident and has begun an investigation.

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