One man is dead and a police officer had to be hospitalized after a report of an “unwanted male” at a Burnaby apartment building turned violent Wednesday afternoon.
According to Burnaby RCMP, patrol received a call about a disturbance at an apartment building on Walker Avenue near Elwell Street around 2:30 p.m. on June 3. Two officers were dispatched to the scene and quickly located the “unwanted male.”
When the NOWarrived on scene around 3:45 p.m., there were eight police cruisers surrounding the apartment building. There was also debris on one of the unit’s patio, and it appeared the sliding door had been smashed.
Police told the NOWthat an altercation ensued after the “unwanted male” refused to cooperate. The altercation resulted in the female officer being struck on the head with an unknown object. Sometime after she was struck, the suspect collapsed.
Emergency personnel performed CPR in an attempt to resuscitate the suspect. A defibrillator was also used, but they were unable to revive the suspect and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, the female officer was transported to hospital where she was treated and released, Burnaby RCMP confirmed on Thursday.
B.C.’s civilian-led investigation team, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), has confirmed it is investigating the incident.
“We’ve deployed investigators, they’re at the scene, our chief civilian director is on-route there and will be taking questions,” Kellie Kilpatrick, media spokesperson for the IIO, told the NOWWednesday evening.
Kilpatrick said Burnaby RCMP notified the IIO around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon that a suspect had died while in police custody.
“They were responding to a complaint of a male who accessed an apartment building near Walker, through a plate glass door. According to police, he was agitated and non-compliant,” she said.
Kilpatrick confirmed a Taser was deployed, but it failed to have any effect on the suspect.
“A physical struggle ensued, and while he (the suspect) was being taken into custody he became unresponsive and he was pronounced deceased at the scene,” she added.
The B.C. Coroner’s Service will conduct an autopsy to determine the suspect’s cause of death.
The IIO will conduct its own investigation and determine whether or not the Burnaby RCMP officers involved committed an offence. If they determine there was an offence, the IIO will forward its report to Crown counsel who will decide if criminal charges are laid.
