Victoria police cleared of wrongdoing after man found dead during wellness check
Victoria police cleared of wrongdoing after man found dead during wellness check
Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this file photo from the IIO.
B.C.'s police watchdog has cleared the Victoria Police Department of wrongdoing after officers found a man dead inside his home during a wellness check last year.
On Feb. 9, 2022, Victoria police went to a residential building in the 1900-block of Fort Street after a man's mother called 911 with concerns about her son's wellbeing.
When officers arrived at the man's suite, they tried talking to him through his front door but did not receive an answer, according to the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C.
A witness, who was described as the man's next-door neighbour, told the IIO that they heard the officers try to communicate with the man through his door.
The neighbour also told police that building staff members had a key to the man's unit, but that no staff members were present because it was the weekend.
Police were able to call a staff member, who said that officers could pick up a key from them in a different part of the city.
One officer stayed at the home while the other officer went to get the key.
In the meantime, another higher ranking officer, a VicPD sergeant, arrived at the scene.
Shortly after the sergeant arrived, they said they could hear a "cry for help" or some sort of moan from inside the unit and decided to break down the door.
Once officers entered the unit, they found the man had died by self-inflicted injuries.
Paramedics arrived soon after and confirmed the man's death, according to the IIO.
IIO DECISION
The IIO is notified whenever a police-involved incident results in serious harm or death.
In this instance, the IIO says it needed to check if police had acted negligently or if they disregarded anyone's safety during their response.
The police watchdog says police adequately weighed the risks of waiting at the man's door versus breaking it down, noting that officers considered breaking into the home earlier but there were concerns that the action could cause a sudden and unpredictable response from the man.
"It is significant that the officers were left with only two options: to wait outside, trying to get a response from [the man] through the locked door, or to kick the door open," said the IIO in its decision released Friday.
After reviewing six civilian witness statements, three police officer statements, security video from the building and police dispatch and 911 audio records, the IIO concluded that the responding officers had acted appropriately and that they had very little chance to intervene in the situation.
"The evidence gathered in this case indicates that when [the man] closed himself in his apartment he had made a firm decision, one that the responding officers were effectively powerless to head off," said the IIO.
The IIO adds that given the extent of the man's injuries, it's unlikely that the outcome would have been different even if police were able to access the unit immediately.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
W5 profiles the man who makes the sounds for breaking bones and squealing tires in Hollywood’s biggest films; and he does it from a small town in Ontario. Watch 'Sound Farms' at 7 p.m. on CTV W5.
Statistics Canada has released its new report about the Canadians level of confidence in Canada’s institutions, finding that recent immigrants are more likely to express confidence in the media and parliament.
In a choice forced upon them by the Canadian government, four mothers have made the agonizing decision to forfeit an opportunity to repatriate their children from open air prisons in northeast Syria.
Lawyers representing Toronto MP Han Dong served Global News with a libel notice on Friday over reports that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of the two Michaels, and that he was a 'witting affiliate' of Chinese interference networks – allegations that Dong denies.
A recent report from Royal LePage is predicting a drop in prices for Canadian cabins and cottages this year as demand softens from economic uncertainty and low housing stock.
Officials in Vancouver said they plan to meet with the artist and volunteers who are keeping vigil on a children's shoe memorial on the steps of the city's art gallery in an effort to end the tribute to children who didn't return from residential schools.
A Brampton, Ont. man is under arrest after what is being described as a “troubling series of events” that saw female paramedics in Peel Region allegedly sexually assaulted and harassed.
The leader of Ontario's new democrats says she's removed long-time party member Michael Mantha from caucus amid an independent investigation into alleged workplace misconduct.
The United Conservative Party (UCP) of Alberta announced Saturday that Rajan Sawhney will run as a UCP candidate for Calgary North-West after announcing in February that she wouldn't be running for re-election in Calgary North-East.
Akwesasne Mohawk Police say they are working with Immigration Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm the identities of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River this week.
April Fools' Day -- better known as poisson d'Avril in Quebec -- is upon us. Some of the province's familiar faces got into the spirit Saturday with a few light-hearted social media pranks.
After the RCMP commissioner admitted he didn't read the Mass Casualty Commission’s final recommendations, family members of those killed in the April 2020 tragedy say they have doubts the force will change.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A doctor named in a lawsuit after a Nova Scotia woman died in hospital following a long wait to see a physician has denied allegations from the family that he failed in his duties.
The sale has started of former Saskatchewan government liquor store buildings. The province got out of liquor retailing earlier this month and is disposing of all assets.
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
The leader of Ontario's new democrats says she's removed long-time party member Michael Mantha from caucus amid an independent investigation into alleged workplace misconduct.
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A northern Ontario man has been banned from licenced hunting and fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to having more than six times the legal limit of grouse and obstructing conservation officers.
Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this file photo from the IIO.
