Witness shares video of fatal police incident in Campbell River

The quick actions of a Campbell River man may provide investigators with their best insight into the death of an individual on Saturday after the person had a run-in with police officers.

The witness, who doesn't want to be identified, heard a commotion and then saw a man running by his apartment complex. The man was pointing a gun behind his back towards a pursuing police officer.

"He was running with a gun in his hand, didn't look like he knew what he was doing, it looked like he was trying to pull up his pants and shoot at the same time," the witness says.

He says the person fired a shot and was then struck by an RCMP cruiser heading in the same direction the two were running.

"The guy fumbled and hit the ground, hit the fence behind my place there, it all happened so fast, (the cop) got out right away and just shot the guy a couple of times," the witness says.

The witness then grabbed his cell phone and began documenting the actions of the officers and the man on the ground.

The video lasts for just over three minutes and shows police officers struggling with the man, who is face-down as they try to put handcuffs on him. One officer can be heard asking the person "are you shot?"

The suspect was then lifted to his feet and put into the back of a police cruiser.

"You could hear him in the video he's moaning and groaning, they had no reason to think he's going to run, they didn't have to put him in the back of the cruiser," the witness says.

Police had chased the man into the complex on the Island Highway at Park Road after they responded to reports of a theft-in-progress at the River Sportsman Outdoor Store by a man with a gun.

The witness says he doesn't criticize the actions of police, saying people should expect some consequences if they point a weapon at police, but he does want some transparency.

Saturday's incident is the subject of a probe by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), who will look at what role the actions by police played in the man's death.

IIO says the man died on the way to hospital and an autopsy will be conducted to determine how the man died, but it is believed he was shot.

Former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner and public safety analyst for CTV News Chris Lewis also has questions after seeing the video.

"I wondered why he was put into the car if he was seriously wounded,” Lewis says. “You wouldn't want to move the person, you would want the ambulance to make the decision on moving, so I found that kind of odd, but we don't know all the facts."

In the video, an officer can be heard asking the suspect, "Where where you shot? Where were you hit?"

The officer gets no response through the man's moans. Police also ask the man his name. Another officer appears to tell the individual "This is what happens when you pull your guns at us you f**king moron."

Lewis reminds the public to keep in mind the actions done in the midst of a potentially life-threatening situation for officers.

"In a situation like that, things are going to happen and things are going to be said in the heat of the moment. I'm not defending that, but that's the reality of the job," Lewis says.

"You hear some foul language and you see some things you might kind of question, but that's for the IIO to figure out and come up with a report as to what occurred," he says.

The IIO investigation is continuing and could take many weeks to conclude.