B.C.’s police watchdog is investigating after a Vancouver police officer shot and seriously injured a man Saturday (July 16) evening.
The Vancouver Police Department says it was called to a building near Gore Avenue and Railway Street for a reported break-in at about 8:45 p.m.
Once there, officers saw a vehicle leaving the area, according to VPD. The department says an officer signalled to the driver to stop but they continued driving to the area of Commercial Drive and East 2nd Avenue.
There, the officer caught up with the driver and shot him. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) says it’s not yet clear whether the driver also fired shots and, if so, who shot first, but VPD says the driver had a weapon on him.
Identified as a 52-year-old man, the driver was taken to hospital with serious gun-shot wounds. He remains there under custody, according to VPD.
No officers were injured in the interaction, although a police dog did require medical treatment.
The IIO is an independent civilian oversight agency that investigates all incidents where interactions with police result in death or serious injury. It is asking any person with information about the incident to contact its witness line at 1-855-446-8477.
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