Police cleared in off-duty officer's death at Langley, B.C., business

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. was called to Langley after the shooting death of an off-duty officer with the Surrey Police Service.

Weeks after an off-duty officer died at a Langley, B.C., business, a watchdog has cleared police at the scene of wrongdoing.

The Independent Investigations Office said video evidence confirmed the off-duty officer, who worked for the Surrey Police Service, suffered a self-inflicted injury before dying on Feb. 8.

At the time, there were RCMP officers at the business trying to locate the man – believing him to be in distress – but the IIO found they played no role in what ultimately transpired.

"There is no evidence that the man knew police were in the building prior to his death," the watchdog wrote in an information bulletin Monday.

Authorities have not said which business was involved, only that it is located on 201 Street near 98 Avenue. There is an indoor shooting range on the block called The Range, which announced on social media that it was closing for the day on Feb. 8.

The IIO is tasked with investigating all police-involved incidents that result in death or serious harm, even if there is no allegation of wrongdoing against officers. The watchdog said its investigation into last month's incident in Langley has been closed.

The Surrey Police Service confirmed the deceased officer joined the force in May 2022, but had been suspended with pay since August 2022 due to an RCMP investigation.

Authorities have not released any details on the allegations against him.