IIO investigating after man suffered ‘serious harm’ in custody of North Cowichan RCMP in 2021

IIO investigating after man suffered 'serious harm' in custody of North Cowichan RCMP in 2021
CHEK

An incident in which a man was seriously injured while in police custody in North Cowichan is under investigation by B.C.’s police watchdog.

RCMP officers arrested a man on West Shawnigan Lake Road and brought him to the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment cells on Nov. 20, 2021, according to a news release from the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia.

An “interaction” between the man and the police occurred while he was detained, resulting in injuries to the man.

Later that night, the man was transported to a local hospital and released from police custody. Nearly a year later, the man filed a complaint with RCMP on Nov. 16, 2022.

RCMP informed the IIO about the incident Jan. 5 of this year and the office now says preliminary investigation has found the man’s injuries amount to “serious harm” as defined by B.C.’s Police Act.

Specifics about the incident including the nature and extent of the man’s injuries have not been revealed.

The ongoing investigation seeks to uncover the details of the interaction and determine if any officer may have violated the law during the incident.

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