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One man dead after police standoff in Port Coquitlam

The Independent Investigations Office is investigating an incident Sunday evening in Port Coquitlam that left a man dead on a driveway after Coquitlam RCMP responded to a call of shots being fired into the air. Cpl.
Standoff
SHANE MACKICHAN PHOTO Officers from Coquitlam RCMP and the Emergency Response Team respond to a call of shots fired into the air on Audrey Drive in Port Coquitlam Sunday evening.

The Independent Investigations Office is investigating an incident Sunday evening in Port Coquitlam that left a man dead on a driveway after Coquitlam RCMP responded to a call of shots being fired into the air.

Cpl. Janelle Shoihet, of the BC RCMP, said officers arrived at the scene in the 2100 block of Audrey Drive in the Mary Hill neighbourhood of Port Coquitlam just after 7 p.m. and secured the area until the Integrated Lower Mainland Emergency Response team could attend.

Shortly after police arrived, they spotted an armed male outside a residence and more shots were  fired by the man and by police.

After a standoff that lasted several hours, during which the ERT deployed an armoured personnel carrier and used flash bombs, officers found the body of the man behind a vehicle.

Nobody else was injured in the incident, although one witness said at least one home may have been hit by a bullet. Photos from the scene posted on social media show several circles drawn on the pavement outside a home, possibly around shell casings. A video shot by a neighbour shows a flash explosion followed by heavily-armed police pleading with the man to exit the rear of his residence.

Shoihet said members of the IIO will take over the investigation. They’ll determine if the fatal injuries to the man were self-inflicted or caused by police, and whether police actions at the incident were lawful and reasonable. 

Marten Youssef, of the IIO, said one aspect investigators will look into is whether the man may have been trying to commit suicide by provoking police to shoot him. He said the fact the incident occurred on a weekend evening in a busy residential neighbourhood means there are plenty of potential witnesses who can help their investigation with independent accounts of what they saw.

Youssef said the investigation could take 14-18 months. If it’s determined police acted wrongly, the case is then referred to Crown counsel to decide if charges should be laid.

Witnesses are asked to contact the IIO BC at 1-855-446-8477.