The province’s police watchdog is investigating following a sudden death yesterday near Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus.
The incident occurred in the mid-afternoon and police cordoned off a large area of the sidewalk along Gaglardi Way for investigation.
Coquitlam RCMP received a report in the early morning hours that “a man had left his residence and intended to harm himself,” according to Burnaby RCMP. That afternoon at around 2:30 p.m., officers located a man they believed to be that individual.
“Police engaged the man verbally, at which point the man shot himself,” said the Burnaby RCMP in a statement.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC is now investigating to determine if there is a link between police action or inaction and the sudden death. The IIO investigates following any fatality or serious injury that occurs while police are on scene.
Read the full statement from the Burnaby RCMP here.
