B.C. police watchdog says officers shot man who set off five-day manhunt

SLOCAN CITY, B.C. – British Columbia’s police watchdog has confirmed that a man who set off a five-day police search was shot and killed in a confrontation with two members of the emergency response team.

Peter DeGroot died Monday, days after police say he exchanged gunfire with them in the small southeastern community of Slocan.

Owen Court, a spokesman for the Independent Investigations Office, says DeGroot was hit by a gunshot during the interaction with two officers. He says a firearm was found at the scene.

Court says an IIO team, including three investigators and a forensic specialist, are on the scene.

RCMP said Monday that the confrontation occurred when officers came upon DeGroot in a cabin on Monday afternoon.

Police told residents in the community to stay inside after the shooting, warning them that the man they were looking for was armed and dangerous.