Police watchdog looking for witnesses to Shuswap shooting

SALMON ARM – B.C.’s police watchdog is asking for anyone who witnessed a shooting involving an officer in the Salmon Arm area to come forward.

The Independent Investigations Office is looking into a July 3 incident that left an individual, and an officer, injured. The extent of their injuries has not been disclosed.

All that has been released about the incident is that there was a reported armed robbery at a gas station near Sicamous. The suspect vehicle was located near Canoe, leading police to set up a perimeter and deploy the dog team.

During the search, a cop ‘came into contact’ with the ‘affected person,' investigations spokesperson Kellie Kilpatrick says in a press release. Both were transported to hospital, the officer with unspecified injuries, and the other person with serious gunshot injuries. There has been no update on their conditions.

Independent investigators arrived in Salmon Arm and Saturday, July 4, to seize evidence, speak to those involved, and interview witness officers. They now believe additional witnesses may have been in the area where the incident took place, which was in the area around Bernie Road and Highway 1 near the community of Canoe, and are now appealing to the public for further information.

Anyone with information is asked to call the office at 1-855-446-8477.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.