Man dead after RCMP shooting in Surrey, IIO investigating

A Surrey Mountie fatally shot a suspect during a confrontation Friday morning, according to RCMP. B.C.'s police watchdog is now investigating.

The shooting happened shortly after 7 a.m. near the intersection of 142A Street and 87A Avenue, police said in a news release.

There, a Surrey RCMP officer located a man matching the description of the suspect in at least one incident that occurred earlier in the morning. A foot pursuit ensued, followed by a "confrontation," during which the officer shot the man, police said.

Mounties did not provide any additional details about the circumstances of the confrontation, and referred all questions about the incident to the Independent Investigations Office, which is tasked with investigating incidents involving police officers in B.C. that result in death or serious harm to a member of the public.

"The details of that interaction, of course, are the focus of our investigation," said Ron MacDonald, chief civilian director of the IIO in an interview with CTV News Friday afternoon.

"We will be looking at all aspects of the interaction and, in particular, whether or not the actions of the officer - to fire a shot - were justified in the circumstances."

In its own release, the IIO said police had received "several reports of different incidents" involving a man who had a weapon Friday morning.

The RCMP noted two specific incidents in their statement. The first, at 5:41 a.m., involved a woman who reported that a man with a weapon had attempted to rob her near 144 Street and 108 Avenue. The second - reported at 5:42 a.m., according to RCMP - involved a carjacking with a weapon near the location of the first call.

Neither the IIO nor the RCMP said what kind of weapon the suspect allegedly had. MacDonald would not share that information either, saying it's "much too early" in the investigation for the IIO to share specific details about what transpired between the officer and the suspect.

"The reason why we don't detail exactly what type of weapon it was is we don't want to taint any potential witness out there," he said.

The IIO said in its release that it's unclear whether the man who was shot is the suspect who was involved in all of the other incidents.

"Officers located a man near the intersection of 142A Street and 87A Avenue who they believed to be the person involved in at least one of the earlier reports to police," the IIO statement reads. 

After the shooting, the man was taken to hospital, where he later died, police said.

The IIO is asking anyone with information on the case to call its witness line at 855-446-8477 or to submit a tip using the contact form on its website.  

Surrey RCMP are also investigating the incidents in which the man was a suspect, and are asking anyone with information to contact the detachment's serious crime unit.

“There was a series of incidents this morning that have greatly impacted residents in our community, as well as all the officers who responded to the scene,” said Asst. Comm. Brian Edwards, the officer in charge of Surrey RCMP, in the release.

“We are ensuring that all those affected by these incidents, including our officers, are supported during this difficult time. Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased man.”