The office that investigates police use of force in B.C. has been called to the Kootenays after an “officer-involved shooting” Friday night. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. confirmed its deployment to the incident “near Kaslo” in an email to CTV News on Saturday. In a release, the B.C. RCMP explained that officers from the Kaslo detachment responded to a disturbance at a home outside of the town. The IIO confirmed that the home was on Kaslo South Road. “During the response, a man exited the residence allegedly carrying an edged weapon. Officers verbally engaged with the man, and during the interaction an officer discharged their service pistol,” Mounties said. “The man was struck and transported to hospital for treatment in stable condition.” RCMP say they’re conducting their own investigation in addition to the IIO’s and added that all further info will be released by the IIO. The IIO is tasked with investigating all incidents involving police in B.C. that result in death or serious harm to a member of the public, regardless of whether there is any allegation of wrongdoing on the part of police. When an investigation begins, the IIO starts by determining whether there are injuries that meet the Police Act definition of serious harm, and whether there is a connection between those injuries and police action or inaction. If both criteria are met, the investigation proceeds.
