Update: The Independent Investigations Office has found no link between police actions and the death of a man who fell from the Pattullo Bridge on Monday.
The police watchdog announced Tuesday that it has closed its investigaiton and the B.C. Coroners Service has taken over the file.
Previous story: B.C.’s police watchdog has been called to investigate a “critical incident” that closed the Pattullo Bridge for almost six hours Monday morning.
The bridge was shut down starting at 3 a.m. while police officers from several agencies responded to a distraught person on the bridge.
The person did not survive, according to the Independent Investigations Office.
The IIO has now “asserted jurisdiction” over the investigation, which occurs whenever police are involved in a death or incident where there is serious harm.
“The IIO will initiate a preliminary investigation in order to determine if there is a nexus, or relationship between the death and an officer’s actions,” the agency said in a statement issued to media.
No additional information will be released about the incident, according to the IIO, and the police force involved isn’t answering questions about what happened.
The IIO will only provide an update “if and when the IIO sustains or releases jurisdiction,” according to the agency.
The bridge closure snarled traffic during the morning rush hour.
