B.C.’s police watchdog investigates man’s injuries at Fort St. John hotel

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — B.C.’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO), is investigating the injuries of a man after Fort St. John RCMP responded to a disturbance report at a local hotel on March 19th.

According to the IIO’s March 21st information bulletin, the Fort St. John RCMP were called to the Super 8 by Wyndham Hotel around 5:20 a.m. for a disturbance report and spoke with a man before leaving.

Officers were called back to the hotel at around 6:15 a.m. and found a man who had sustained injuries that appeared to be self-inflicted. The man was transported to hospital for treatment.

It is unclear if the man that police spoke with during the initial disturbance call is the same person who received injuries.

According to the IIO, it was notified of the incident shortly after it occurred and commenced an investigation.

“Initial investigative steps will seek to confirm that the man’s injuries meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, and what role, if any, police actions or inaction may have played,” said the IIO.

Anyone who saw the man’s interaction with police or has other information about the incident is asked to contact the IIO Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on iiobc.ca.

No further information is available while the IIO investigation is underway.

According to its website, the IIO is a civilian-led police oversight agency responsible for conducting investigations into incidents of death or serious harm that may have been the result of the actions or inactions of a police officer.