Watchdog recommends charges against VPD officer in fatal shooting
Grounds to believe officer committed use-of-force offences in May 2022 shooting that left man dead, IIO says
British Columbia's police watchdog says an officer from the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) might face charges in a shooting that killed a man two years ago.
A statement from the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) says VPD officers responded to a call from the Patricia Hotel on East Hastings Street on May 5, 2022.
The agency says there was an "interaction" between officers and the subject of the complaint.
It says an officer fired shots, leaving the man with "fatal gunshot injuries."
The IIO's interim chief civilian director Sandra Hentzen says she found reasonable grounds to believe that one officer might have committed offences in relation to the use of force after reviewing the evidence.
IIO says it has filed a report to the B.C. Prosecution Service for consideration of charges.
In order to approve any charges, it said prosecutors must be satisfied there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO, and that prosecution would be in the public interest.