Community 'shocked' following fatal police shooting at Hope's small hospital, mayor says

The mayor of Hope, B.C., says the small community is "shocked" after a man was shot dead by RCMP in the local hospital on Wednesday morning.

B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office (IIO) is investigating the incident at the Fraser Canyon Hospital in Hope, about 152 kilometres east of Vancouver.

Mounties say an "interaction" between the man and officers occurred at the hospital, resulting in one officer discharging their firearm.

In a statement, police say the man received immediate medical attention but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say they were initially called at 11:44 a.m. to a report of a two-vehicle collision on Highway 5 at the Zopkios off-ramp, where multiple people were found with non-life-threatening injuries and transported to the hospital.

RCMP say an altercation allegedly occurred between two of the injured people, resulting in B.C. Emergency Health Services personnel requesting police assistance.

Victor Smith, the mayor of the District of Hope, says the community is still reeling.

"It's a shock to have it in our local hospital, in a small town like us," Smith told CBC on Thursday afternoon. "Never has this happened here before."

Emergency department reopens

The Fraser Canyon Hospital emergency department was closed for the rest of Wednesday while B.C.'s police watchdog investigated the shooting.

It reopened Thursday morning.

Fraser Health said in a statement on Thursday morning that, although no one else was physically harmed, the shooting was upsetting for people in the hospital at the time.

In an internal memo issued Thursday afternoon and obtained by CBC News, health authority president Dr. Victoria Lee called the incident "tragic" and "distressing" and acknowledged its effect, saying it could leave "some members of our community feeling anxious and traumatized."

"While the investigation is complete, we recognize this has had a significant emotional impact on all involved," Lee wrote.

"We are truly grateful and commend hospital staff who stayed late to ensure we could return to normal operations following the incident and investigation, home health staff who provided additional support onsite, and our security team who helped keep everyone safe."

Fraser Health said it has put in place social workers and its critical incident stress management team to help people at the hospital, and Lee said there are dedicated counselling supports available to staff who need them.

On Wednesday, B.C Health Minister Adrian Dix wrote on Twitter that his "thoughts are with the patients and staff who witnessed the incident."

During the emergency room closure, ambulance services were available in Hope and surrounding communities, and some patients needing care went to Chilliwack General Hospital, about 50 kilometres southwest of Hope.

"We are grateful for the community's patience and kindness during this distressing incident and as our staff and medical staff return to work," Fraser Health said on Thursday.

Smith praised the IIO's investigation and said health-care workers and patients can feel safe going to the hospital again.

"It's a single incident. They've made sure everything is safe, and we're going to move forward, and we're good," said Smith.

The IIO is called to investigate any police interaction that leads to death or serious harm.