The province’s police watchdog was called to Surrey Sunday night after a man was shot during his arrest.
The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) says it was notified after the Surrey Police Service (SPS) responded to reports of a man with a weapon at 84 Avenue near 134 Street around 8 p.m.
“They located the man and attempted to arrest him,” said a statement Monday.
Officers reportedly fired a gun and used less-than-lethal weapons on the man, who “suffered injuries.”
In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio, the IIO confirmed the man suffered a gunshot wound.
He was taken to hospital with what investigators describe as non-life-threatening injuries, and the SPS notified the IIO shortly after.
Citing the possibility of influencing public perception of its investigation, the IIO declined to confirm if the man had been armed with a weapon, as first reported, when police arrived.
The IIO is the civilian oversight agency for police and detention guards in B.C. It’s called to investigate after any police-related incidents that result in death or serious injury, whether or not there are any allegations of wrongdoing.
The office says it has begun investigating Sunday night’s incident to determine if the man’s injuries qualify as ‘serious harm’ and if there’s a connection between the harm and an officer’s action or inaction.
1130 NewsRadio has reached out to the IIO for more details.