An incident involving Kelowna Mounties is being investigated by the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO).
At around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, RCMP officers stopped a black Mercedes sedan on Snowsell Street North near Glenmore Road.
There was only one person in the vehicle – the driver – and after communicating with the police, they drove away. During the altercation, an officer was dragged by the car, receiving minor injuries.
During the incident, the IIO says one officer shot their weapon and struck the vehicle as the driver fled.
The next day, on Feb. 27, police discovered the Mercedes at a property and later found the driver at a separate location.
Police said the driver had gunshot wounds and was arrested prior to being taken to a hospital for treatment. The person’s injuries were not considered to be life-threatening according to the IIO.
The IIO started its investigation soon after learning of the incident.
At the beginning of the investigation, the IIO is considering two factors:
- If there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, or a death;
- and if there is a connection between the serious harm/death and officer action or inaction.
“If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred,” the IIO said in a media release on March 2.