B.C.’s police watchdog investigates man’s death after officers on scene

PORT COQUITLAM, B.C. – British Columbia’s police watchdog says it has launched an investigation into a fatal incident after RCMP responded to a report about a distraught man threatening to harm himself.

The Independent Investigations Office says initial reports suggest a man fired shots into the air outside a home in Port Coquitlam on Sunday evening.

The watchdog says in a news release that Coquitlam RCMP found the man outside a residence and that shots were fired by him and police before he was found dead.

The agency says its investigation is focused on determining whether the man’s injuries were self-inflicted or involved police and whether the RCMP’s actions were lawful and reasonable.

RCMP say emergency response team members found the man dead behind a vehicle with what is believed to be a self-inflicted injury.