B.C. police watchdog investigating death of Central Saanich officer

Warning: This story contains a reference to suicide.

British Columbia's police oversight agency is investigating the death of a Central Saanich police sergeant who had been charged with sexual assault and breach of trust hours before he was found dead on Wednesday.

Sources have confirmed to CTV News that Sgt. Matthew Ball, 43, died by suicide after he was charged and released from custody.

Const. Ryan Johnston, a 40-year-old colleague with the Central Saanich Police Department, was also charged with sexual assault after allegedly forming a separate relationship with the same woman in her mid-20s whom the officers allegedly met while on duty.

In a statement Thursday, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said it was investigating the officer's death in a forested area near Shawnigan Lake, approximately 45 kilometres northwest of Victoria,

"It appears the manner of death was self-inflicted," the statement from the police watchdog said.

The IIO was notified of the death by the Vancouver Police Department, which announced the charges against Ball and Johnston on Tuesday, after completing a weeks-long covert investigation into the officers' alleged conduct, the statement said.

The IIO investigation will seek to "confirm the details of what occurred leading up to and during the officer's death," the agency said.

Anyone with information relevant to the death is asked to call the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or contact the agency through the iiobc.ca website.

Officers from the Saanich Police Department have been deployed to neighbouring Central Saanich to provide frontline support to the department as local officers "process the recent events," said Jason Hallman, a Saanich Police Department communications advisor, in a statement Thursday.

The patrol support was requested by Central Saanich police Chief Ian Lawson, "which is a consistent practice amongst co-operating agencies when required to ensure frontline services are maintained," Hallman said.

Ball, who was hired by the Central Saanich police in 2016 after 12 years of service with Calgary police, was awarded an exemplary service medal by the Governor General earlier this year.

Johnston has been with Central Saanich police since 2017. He is scheduled to appear in court in Victoria on Jan. 15, 2025.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources that are available:

• Suicide Crisis Helpline (988)
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (1-800-463-2338)
• Crisis Services Canada (1-833-456-4566, or 45645 by text)
• Kids Help Phone [phone])
• If you need immediate assistance, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital