Man shot by police after ramming RCMP cruiser was not seriously harmed, IIO finds

A man who rammed his SUV into a police cruiser outside a Vancouver Island RCMP detachment, injuring one officer, was not seriously injured when he was shot by police, the province's police watchdog has found.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) has concluded its investigation into the May 12 incident at the North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP station, which sent both the suspect and the injured officer to hospital.

The IIO, which investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., reviewed video footage and medical records before determining the suspect did not sustain serious injury when he was hit by a single police bullet.

Lunden Taylor Howard, born in 1994, is scheduled to appear in a Victoria courtroom Wednesday on four charges stemming from the early hours of May 12, including assault by choking, aggravated assault, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, and dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

A witness in an apartment building next to the RCMP detachment began recording video of the altercation with police around 6:30 a.m., after the Mazda SUV had crashed head-on into a cruiser in the parking lot.

A man in a grey, hooded sweatshirt is shown standing next to the dark-coloured SUV, which has pushed the police vehicle backwards into a ditch.

Two uniformed RCMP officers approach the man, who appears to be retrieving something from the backseat of the SUV.

One officer can be seen drawing his weapon as the man turns toward him. A single gunshot is heard and the man falls backward to the ground.

A man drove his SUV into a police cruiser outside a Vancouver Island RCMP detachment, injuring one officer on May 12, 2023. (CTV News)

The incident occurred just six weeks after a Mountie from the same detachment shot and seriously injured a man who was driving a skid-steer loader through residential streets at night.

A slow chase ensued in which the construction vehicle collided with police vehicles before an officer opened fire and struck the 31-year-old man twice in the head.

The IIO is still seeking witnesses in its investigation of the earlier altercation.