Two people have died in Campbell River, BC, including a man killed by the RCMP.
Police said in a statement that they were called Monday around 1:45 a.m. to report a homicide at the Discovery Navy with hostages involved.
The Campbell River RCMP, the Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team, and crisis negotiators responded to the call.
Police said one person was dead when they arrived, but were able to confirm that no one else was in danger as they tried to negotiate with the man.
“They had a conversation with him for a while. However, there was finally an interaction and gunfire was fired, and it was stated that the man had died at the scene,” said Ron MacDonald, the civil director in charge of the BC Office of Independent Research.
A statement from the Cambell River RCMP said the suspect had a gun.
The RCMP will continue to investigate the original incident that killed the first individual, while the IIO will investigate the police actions that led to the suspect’s death, MacDonald said.
He said the IIO was notified shortly before 6 a.m. shortly after the suspect’s death, and IIO investigators deployed to Campbell River shortly thereafter.
“We are already on site and doing a forensic examination of the area.”
The IIO is a civilian police oversight agency tasked with conducting investigations into incidents of death or serious injury involving police officers, whether on or off duty.