Warning: Details in this story may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
The independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia has cleared RCMP officers of any wrongdoing after a man died at a Comox Valley hotel during a police incident earlier this month.
On June 9, Comox Valley RCMP officers went to a hotel in the 1100-block Cliffe Avenue at around 10:50 p.m., after someone had called them over concerns about the health and safety of a man who reportedly had a firearm in a room at the hotel, according to the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO).
The IIO said when officers arrived, the man communicated with them in the doorway of the hotel room at first but then ceased communications and went back inside the room.
According to the IIO, the man then returned the doorway of the room with a firearm, and despite RCMP officers’ attempts to communicate, harmed himself and was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a release issued on Tuesday, the IIO said based on independent evidence which included civilian witness and video sources, it is clear that “police actions” did not cause or result in the death of the man.
An investigation into the matter is now over, the IIO added.
The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia and is responsible for investigating all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, regardless of whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
RELATED: B.C.’s police watchdog investigating after man dies in the Comox Valley
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