Coroners inquest called into death of 35-year-old man shot by Oceanside RCMP

A 35-year-old man died from injuries sustained in an RCMP-involved shooting in Qualicum Beach on Oct. 12, 2017. (CTV News)

The B.C. government will hold a coroners inquest into the death of a man who was shot by police near the Vancouver Island community of Qualicum Beach six years ago.

Aaron Lee Prince, 35, was shot by two Oceanside RCMP officers on Oct. 12, 2017, after he allegedly wrestled the officers to the ground while they tried to apprehend him under the Mental Health Act.

Both officers were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. in 2020.

The watchdog agency's final report into the matter found Prince was being transported to hospital by a friend that morning after he had allegedly stabbed himself in the chest with a knife while reportedly hearing voices in his head.

The friend called 911 and arranged to meet an ambulance along the highway to take Prince the rest of the way to the hospital.

Concerned that Prince may still be in possession of the knife, paramedics called for police to meet them at the rendezvous spot in the 39000 block of the Inland Island Highway.

The two responding officers were soon notified about a report of a man running down the highway in the same area.

'HE'S GOING FOR MY GUN'

Arriving on scene in separate vehicles, the officers attempted to restrain Prince but a violent struggle quickly ensued.

One officer told the IIO he was thrown down an embankment and then saw Prince punching the other Mountie in the face. The officer scrambled back up the embankment and struck Prince in the head with a baton but the struggle continued.

Peppery spray and a Taser were deployed with no apparent effect.

"He's going for my gun," shouted the officer on the ground, according to both officers' testimony to the IIO.

His fellow officer pulled his own gun and fired warning shots into the ditch but the beating continued, he told the IIO.

Prince "looked up at him with a blank stare" before leaping up and pinning him to the ground, according to the IIO report.

Fearing Prince might wrestle his gun away, the pinned officer fired two contact shots – one into the man's chest and another into his abdomen – while the other officer fired three times into his back and shoulder.

Prince died and the two officers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Under the B.C. Coroners Act, inquests are mandatory for any deaths that occur while a person is detained by, or in the custody of, a police officer.

The purpose of an inquiry is to make a finding of legal responsibility for someone's death, but rather to determine the facts related to a death; to make recommendations where appropriate to prevent similar deaths; and to ensure public confidence that the circumstances surrounding the death are not be overlooked, concealed or ignored.

Coroner Carolyn Maxwell will preside over the inquest, with a jury hearing evidence given under oath, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 7 at the Nanaimo Law Courts.