'Theft and weapon complaint' preceded fatal incident involving RCMP in Campbell River, IIO says

B.C.'s police watchdog has released an initial description of the fatal incident that led to its deployment in Campbell River on Saturday.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said in a news release Sunday afternoon that the initial call was "a theft and weapon complaint at a business."

The IIO said Campbell River RCMP officers were called to the business around 11:30 a.m. Saturday and ended up in "an altercation" with a man they believed to be involved in the complaint in the 2100 block of North Island Highway, at Park Road.

"During the altercation, shots were fired by police," the IIO said in its statement.

"Emergency Health Services attended, but the man was subsequently pronounced deceased. The cause of death has not yet been determined."

On Saturday, witnesses told CTV News they heard two gunshots during the altercation. One person who lives near the scene said she heard yelling, but couldn't make out what was being said. That was followed by a shot, more yelling and then a second shot.

Another witness who did not want to be identified said she saw police dealing with a man "who appeared to be incoherent and out of it." She said the man was in handcuffs, and officers placed him in the back of a police vehicle while they continued their investigation.

After some time passed, the witness said, a female officer checking on the suspect yelled for assistance from the other officers. The witness said officers began performing CPR on the person for an extended period of time.

The IIO said Sunday that the BC Coroners Service is also investigating to determine the circumstances of the man's death.

Anyone who witnessed the incident and has not already spoken to the IIO should call its witness line at 855-446-8477 or share what they know via the online form on the IIO website, the office said. 

The IIO investigates all incidents involving police officers in B.C. that result in death or serious injury to a member of the public, regardless of whether there is an allegation of wrongdoing on the part of police.  

With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Gord Kurbis