Man dead after police shooting in Nanaimo

Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this file photo from the IIO.

A man is dead after an altercation with police in Nanaimo Saturday afternoon.

The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia, which is tasked with reviewing all incidents involving police officers in the province that result in death or serious injury to a member of the public, has been called to the scene.

According to a news release from BC RCMP, the incident began around 2 p.m., when officers from the Nanaimo detachment were called to "a report of a confrontation between a man and a woman outside a vehicle stopped in the middle of Haliburton Street near Highview Terrace."

When police arrived, the man "allegedly produced a weapon," according to the release.

"Shots were fired by police and the man was injured," RCMP said.

Paramedics from BC Emergency Health Services attended the scene, but the man died from his injuries before he could be taken to hospital. No one else was injured in the incident, police said.

"The area is closed for an undetermined amount of time while the investigation is ongoing," the RCMP statement reads.

"Police have identified the man and confirm that the couple were known to each other."

The IIO is now investigating to determine whether police action contributed to the man's death, police said.

The RCMP did not specify what type of weapon the man allegedly had, and said they would provide no further information on the case as the matter is now under IIO investigation.