BC’s civilian police watchdog is investigating the death of a man in Vancouver police custody Monday in the central east.
In a news release, police said they were dispatched to reports of a “male acting erratically” near East Hastings Street and Dunlevy Avenue around 8 a.m.
Read more: Man dies after being shot by police in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
“After an interaction with police, the man was taken into custody. He then went into medical trouble and lost consciousness,” police said.
“Despite life-saving efforts, the man died at the scene.”
0:50 Police-involved shooting at Vancouver intersection of Columbia and East Hastings, IIO says Police-involved shooting at Vancouver intersection of Columbia and East Hastings, IIO says – July 30, 2022
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Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison declined to provide further details about the incident, deferring to the investigation by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO).
“We have to trust the IIO process and the IIO investigation to independently look at all the facts and come to some conclusions,” he said.
Witnesses told Global News that the man had been sprayed with a bear and was screaming in pain and trying to pour milk on himself when police arrived and hit him several times with a pellet gun.
The advocacy group The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users alleged the man was “killed by spilled milk” and said it was conducting its own “community investigation” into the death.
The IIO, which investigates all serious injuries or deaths following interactions with police, is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact its toll-free witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or through the contact form at iiobc.ca.
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