B.C.’s police watchdog has been deployed to an officer-involved shooting outside a Walmart in New Westminster.
The incident began when local police responded to two men causing a disturbance around noon Friday near Boyd Street.
Police said the first man was arrested without incident. The second man was shot after he was located by police, Marten Youssef of the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) confirmed.
“Officers arrived on the scene and located the subject of the complaint,” he said in a statement. “The male affected person was shot and transferred to hospital for further assessment.”
Witnesses recall a harrowing scene.
“The police surrounded this other suspect and they actually ended up tasering him,” said an individual who asked to remain anonymous. “He managed to get up, and when he was getting up he pulled a big gun.”
“One of the men over there just came running and said ‘there's a guy with a gun’ and we saw so many police cars,” said witness Zarina Alibhai. “It was terrifying. We didn’t know what was going on.”
A large police presence could be seen outside the front entrance of the store, and a large area was blocked off by police tape.
BC Ambulance confirms it transported one patient to hospital in critical condition. In a statement released Friday afternoon police said the man’s injuries were not life-threatening.
Officers say a firearm was found at the scene.
IIO investigators were at the scene throughout the afternoon collecting evidence and interviewing any potential witnesses. Friday's incident was the first officer-involved shooting of 2016.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Michele Brunoro
