Hope, B.C., RCMP officer cleared of misconduct in fatal shooting

A new report by B.C.'s police watchdog says an RCMP officer was justified in shooting and killing a man inside Fraser Canyon Hospital in Hope, B.C., in June 2023.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) released itsreportSept. 27, saying the officer's use of lethal forcewas reasonable, as the man who was killedwasa threat to the officer and apatient at the hospital.

"I do not consider that there are reasonable grounds to believe that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment and therefore the matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges," Chief Civilian Director Jessica Berglund wrote in the report.

The IIO is a civilian-led agency that investigates all incidents involving police that result in death or serious harm, regardless of whether or not there are allegations of wrongdoing.

Incident began with collision

According to the report, on June 28, 2023, RCMP were called to a two-vehicle crash at the Zopkios off-ramp on Highway 5.

The man was experiencing mental health issues with suicidal ideation, the report said, andpurposefully drove his car off the highway onto a service road, crashing head-on into a parked pickup truckwith the alleged intention of killing himself and an unwilling female passenger.

Thepassenger had previously been in a relationship with the man, the report said, and the injured pair were transported together to a hospital in Hope, about 50 kilometres east of Vancouver.

When the two arrived at the hospital, the woman told staffthe man threatened to kill them both, and they were placed in beds at the opposite ends of the hallway, according to the report.

Three police officers then arrived at the hospital and were informed of the situation.

The supervising officer at the hospital told the IIO that the man's mental condition needed to be assessed before an arrest could take place.

The second officer took a seat in a treatment area close to the man's hospital bed, which was in one of the emergency department areas, so the officer was able to monitor him while working on a laptop.

The supervising officer then received a call from the second officersayingthe man was refusing all medical treatment, causing thesupervisor to becomeconcerned the man might discharge himself.

Man arrested

The supervising officer told the other officer to arrest the man and informhim he was not allowed to leave the hospital.

The third officer told the IIO he heard the man being arrested and informed of hisCharter rights. He heard the officer involved say, "Hey, sit down," and saw the officer quickly running backwards down the hall, saying "knife, knife, knife," while being followed, the report read.

The third officer toldthe man to "drop the knife" multiple times, with hospital staff and people in the buildingas witnesses laterinterviewed by the IIO.

The officer ended up near the emergency department exit, which was also near the treatment area occupied bythe female passenger.

As anofficer was pushing a rolling hospital bed out of the way, the third officer pulled out a stun gun and shot it at the man from behind, according to the report.

Four gunshots were fired at the man, fatally wounding him, the report says.

The incident "shocked" the community, Hope Mayor Victor A. Smithsaid at the time, witha B.C. resident describingit as "absolutely horrifying."

The full report can be read on the IIO's website.