One dead after shooting incident involving police at Departure Bay

CHEK

WATCH: The province’s police watchdog is investigating after an officer-involved shooting in Nanaimo’s Departure Bay Ferry Terminal Today that left one man dead.

The Independent Investigations Office and the B.C Coroners Service is investigating a police shooting that resulted in a death, at the B.C. Ferries’ Departure Bay terminal Tuesday morning.

RCMP say the Island District Emergency Response Team was assisting Nanaimo RCMP with effecting an arrest of a male at the ferry terminal, in relation to a violent carjacking
incident from another area of the province.

Officials then say the vehicle was stopped by police and a takedown was initiated as the man disembarked from the ferry.

Initial information based on police accounts says the man exited the vehicle with what was believed was a firearm and that shots were fired resulting in the male sustaining serious injuries. He later succumbed to his injuries.

None of the officers or other members of the public were injured in the incident.

RCMP Departure Bay police involved shooting.mp4

RCMP Departure Bay police involved shooting.mp4

Duration 2m

Among the witnesses is former Saanich Mayor and provincial Agricultural Land Commission Chair Frank Leonard, who tweeted about the incident at 10:25 a.m.

 

Vehicles unloading via the arrival area at Departure Bay ferry terminal. Police with exit area blocked after an apparent shooting involving police. Photo courtesy Twitter/Frank Leonard.

Vehicles unloading via the arrival area at Departure Bay ferry terminal. Police with exit area blocked after an apparent shooting involving police. Photo courtesy Twitter/Frank Leonard.

 

Leonard was standing outside his car drinking coffee while waiting for the 10:40 a.m. sailing to Horseshoe Bay when a few cars and motorcycles began to get off the ferry that had arrived at the terminal.

 

Possible police shooting at the Departure Bay Ferry Terminal

Possible police shooting at the Departure Bay Ferry Terminal

Duration 7s

After a few minutes, Leonard said he heard a loud bang and thought it was a truck that had backfired.

“A few seconds later I heard what I thought were 6 to 8 gunshots, so that got a great deal more of my attention,” Leonard told CHEK News from on board the ferry.

“Some ferry attendants were calling out towards someone on a motorcycle who had gone out towards that exit lane to turn around and come back. And it seemed to be a couple of civilian men in plain clothes were jogging towards that site from where the ferry had docked.”

Leonard said he was separated from the incident by six lanes, a fence and a B.C. Ferries’ building and said he also saw multiple plain vehicles with lights flashing, presuming they were police cars.

“All was very quiet there. A few minutes later, maybe five minutes an ambulance showed up and some minutes after that a stretcher came out, but I didn’t see anybody get in, back into the ambulance.”

Police blocked off the exit area of the terminal and Leonard says vehicles began unloading about 20 minutes later via the arrival section.

Leonard and other customers for the 10:40 sailing were loaded onto the Queen of Cowichan, which did not depart for Horseshoe Bay until around 11:25 a.m.

Leonard says nobody was panicked during the incident and stayed where they were instructed to stay.

B.C. Ferries says it is not redirecting traffic to Duke Point.

Andy NealAndy Neal

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