Police shoot man in Surrey, IIO called in

A man was seriously injured after being shot by police outside of Guildford Town Centre in Surrey Sunday evening, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

The agency said officers with the Surrey Police Service were patrolling the area near the mall for reports of a man with a weapon.

"Police attempted to stop the man and there was an interaction, leading to one officer discharging their firearm and striking the man," a statement said, adding that the man was taken to hospital for treatment.

The IIO is asking anyone with information or video to call its witness line at 1-855-446-8477 and noting that its initial investigation will seek to determine if the use of force was necessary and reasonable in the circumstances.

The RCMP, in a separate statement, said officers with the SPS were responding to reports of a man with a gun and that the man "fled" when police arrived and "produced a weapon" soon after.

While the IIO is investigating the shooting, Mounties say they are investigating the initial report of the weapon. Anyone with information about that is being asked to call at 604-599-0502. 

Eyewitness video appears to have captured the moments before the shooting – although the man who was shot can't be seen in it. The police can be heard shouting at the man to put his hands up and to get down on the ground before two shots ring out.

Ronald MacDonald, the IIO's chief civilian investigator, said the shooting is the first one involving officers with the SPS and comes as the office continues to see significantly higher-than-average numbers of reports of these incidents.

"It is also our sixteenth officer-involved shooting for this fiscal year, which will end at the end of this month, which is about twice our average," he told CTV News, saying there were 27 in the previous fiscal year.

"Up to that point in time, our average had been seven."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Martin MacMahon