IIO called to Houston, B.C. after Mounties shoot boat theft suspect

British Columbia’s civil police watchdog was deployed to Houston, where a man was shot by the RCMP in an alleged boat theft.

Officers were called to reports of a break-in and boat theft that was taking place around 3:40 a.m. Tuesday at a motel in Topley Landing, about 50 kilometers between Houston and Burns Lake, according to a media release. through the RCMP.

Police set up a bridge in the area to track down the suspects, and eventually spotted a vehicle pulling a boat believed to be the stolen one.

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“Police say the vehicle is believed to have been driven towards one of the police officers who fired their official pistol. The vehicle driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries,” the RCMP media statement read.

“They were taken by EHS to an area hospital for medical evaluation and detained by police. No one else was injured.”

In its own media release, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) said the suspect was shot in the wrist and was subsequently discharged.

The driver and passenger were both arrested, police said.

The Houston RCMP will conduct a criminal investigation into the boat theft, while the IIO will review police conduct.

It is the duty of the IIO to investigate any interaction with police that results in serious injury or death to assess whether an officer may have committed an offence, regardless of the charge. about misconduct or not.