DUNCAN, B.C. — British Columbia's police watchdog has been deployed to Vancouver Island after an officer shot a man who drove into a detachment parking lot, striking a police vehicle and injuring an officer, the Mounties said Friday.
A statement from the North Cowichan detachment in Duncan, north of Victoria, said an officer was checking the police SUV around 6:30 a.m. when the man drove into the police employee parking lot.
A second officer fired his gun at the vehicle, striking the driver, it said.
A video of the incident shared on social media shows an officer firing as a man stands beside the open door of a black SUV before he falls to the ground.
The front end of the SUV is smashed in, and it appears to have rammed an RCMP vehicle backwards into a ditch next to the Mounties' parking lot.
The injured officer and the suspect were taken to hospital with what police said were believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
Insp. Chris Bear said in a statement that police are not sure of the man's intentions, which they will look into as they investigate the alleged assault.
The incident was "very disturbing" for RCMP members and staff, he said.
The National Police Federation issued a statement calling for greater protections for police in response to the incident and others across Canada during which officers have been injured or killed over the last year.
The statement from president Brian Sauvé said someone "rammed" a police vehicle in Duncan.
The seven-second video shared on social media shows the police SUV marked "NC," indicating it belonged to the North Cowichan detachment.
The man who was shot appears to be checking something in the back seat of the black SUV before he turns toward one of two approaching officers.
The officer appears to fire a single shot, and the man falls to the ground and begins to turn over before the video ends.
The Independent Investigations Office released a statement later Friday, saying it's looking at the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the office's witness line at 1-855-446-8477.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2023.
The Canadian Press
