Image Credit: IIO

By James Peters

IIO

Police watchdog clears RCMP after man’s self-inflicted death outside Merritt detachment

Dec 11, 2020 | 4:05 PM

MERRITT, B.C. — B.C.’s police watchdog says Merritt RCMP officers played no role in the death of a man outside the detachment last Saturday (Dec. 5).

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) was forwarded the file related to the man’s death and reviewed evidence including video, civilian witness statements and scene analysis.

In its brief report, the IIO says at about 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, officers inside the detachment heard the sound of a gun shot from outside.

Video from a nearby vehicle and evidence at the scene told investigators a man had pulled into a nearby parking lot and left his vehicle carrying a rifle.

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Officers leaving the detachment to investigate saw the man pointing a rifle in their direction and took cover.

Not long after, the man turned his gun on himself, fatally wounding himself.

IIO Chief Civilian Director Ron MacDonald says police officers played no role in the man’s death and has concluded his investigation without forwarding it to Crown counsel.