The province’s civilian police watchdog says a man arrested and kept overnight in cells at Oceanside RCMP on July 18 has died.
Information provided to the Independent Investigations Office of sa国际传媒 said police responded to calls of a man allegedly causing a disturbance in the 100-block of Island Highway West in Parksville.
Police arrested the man and put him in cells at the Oceanside detachment. Officers said when the man was being released the following morning, he appeared unwell, so police contacted paramedics, who took the man to hospital.
At the hospital, the man was found to have suffered a serious injury, according to the IIO, which was notified of the incident on Thursday when police became aware of the seriousness of the man’s condition. The injuries were not disclosed and the IIO is looking into whether RCMP played any role.
The man died in hospital on July 21.
The IIO is asking anyone with relevant information or video footage of the disturbance incident to contact its witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the IIO website at iiobc.ca.
The IIO is also investigating an incident in Nanaimo where one person sustained serious injuries.
Information provided by the RCMP said at about 2 a.m. on July 14, officers responded to a report of an allegedly intoxicated man near an address on Wharf Street. The man was arrested and placed in Nanaimo detachment cells.
When the man was being released the following morning, he requested medical attention. Emergency Health Services took him to hospital for treatment.
On July 20, the man informed the RCMP that he had sustained a serious injury. The RCMP notified the IIO the next day.
“Initial investigative steps will seek to confirm when and how the man sustained his injury, and what role, if any, police actions or inactions may have played,” the IIO said.
The IIO is a civilian oversight agency of police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
