RCMP find car that may be linked to man killed in police shooting at Departure Bay

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WATCH: British Columbia’s police watchdog says the new details about Tuesday’s fatal police shooting at Nanaimo’s Departure Bay ferry terminal are critical to understanding what led to the deadly confrontation. Isabelle Raghem reports.

Police in the Okanagan have found a car that may be connected to the man who died in a police shooting at the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo Tuesday.

On Wednesday, RCMP said the suspect who had been shot dead may have been connected to a shooting in Vernon on May 7. Police had previously confirmed the suspect was connected to a Penticton carjacking that same day that left a driver with serious injuries.

A 24-year-old man from Vernon sustained serious injuries in the shooting and remains in hospital. Police said the shooting happened on 43rd Avenue in Vernon on Monday at noon.

The alleged gunman was described as a Caucasian male, 5?9?, with blond hair, and was seen leaving the area in a grey 1996 Ford Crown Victoria. The same vehicle was last seen in West Kelowna about 90 minutes later.

Then at 8:35 p.m. on Monday, Penticton RCMP were called to a motel on the 800-block of Westminster Avenue for a report of a man with a gun. He matched the description of the suspect in the Vernon shooting, but he?d fled before police arrived.

Ten minutes later, Penticton RCMP received reports of a carjacking about four blocks away on Maple Street.

The driver of a bluish-grey Pontiac Vibe told police that a man, matching the description of both previous incidents, had asked for a ride to the hospital to see a sick family member.

Once inside, the driver had been assaulted and forced from the car about two kilometres away on Main Street.

The driver sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries.

On Tuesday at 8:35 a.m., Penticton RCMP were notified that the stolen Pontiac Vibe was nearing the Departure Bay Ferry Terminal in Nanaimo.  Officers sought assistance from Nanaimo RCMP to arrest the driver as the vehicle left the ferry.

The suspect was shot and killed by police soon after driving off the ferry in Departure Bay. The shooting is being investigated by the Independent Investigations Office.

Vernon RCMP said Thursday that the Ford Crown Victoria had been recovered.

RCMP have located a grey Ford Crown Victoria seen at a shooting in Vernon on May 7. (RCMP)

RCMP have located a grey Ford Crown Victoria seen at a shooting in Vernon on May 7. (RCMP)

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C., the police watchdog agency, said this timeline will help with their investigation.

“This is very relevant for us to understand what’s in [the officer’s] mind so we can determine whether or not their actions can be seen as reasonable and justified,” said Ron MacDonald, the Chief Civilian Director of the IIO.

 

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