Police cleared in fatal interactions in Vancouver and Victoria: IIO

The Independent Investigations Office says police bore no responsibility for deaths outside St. Paul's Hospital and in downtown Victoria

Published Jan 06, 2025  •  1 minute read

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

B.C.’s independent investigator into police incidents leading to serious injury or death has cleared officers of wrongdoing in two recent decisions.

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The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) said it found no evidence officers were at fault when a man recently discharged from St. Paul’s Hospital injured himself after being escorted off the property by security.

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On May 17, 2022, police attending an unrelated call at the hospital found the man with self-inflicted injuries and gave medical help until ambulance and fire crews arrived. The man died in hospital about 10 days later.

Vancouver police notified the IIO on June 2 to investigate the officers’ actions, and wrapped up the initial investigation the next day. However, the IIO got new information from the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner on Oct. 31, 2023, leading to a new investigation.

After reviewing the incident and the new evidence, the chief civilian director of the IIO found there were “no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer may have committed an offence in relation to the man’s death.”

In Victoria, the IIO was called after a taxi driver was killed in a crash with a pickup truck fleeing a traffic stop on Oct. 19, 2024.

Victoria police tried to stop a blue Nissan Titan at about 12:50 a.m. that day on Courtney Street between Gordon and Douglas streets. The Titan driver didn’t stop and was involved in a crash with a cab and a B.C. Transit bus soon after and the taxi driver was killed.

The IIO looked at forensics, statements from witnesses, video footage and police records and “determined that the involved officers were acting lawfully when they attempted a traffic stop of the Titan.

“The Titan drove away quickly, and the officers did not engage in a high-speed pursuit. Their actions are not responsible for the taxi driver’s tragic death.”

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