NANAIMO — A man is dead following a police-involved shooting at the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo on Tuesday morning.
Island district RCMP commander Chief Supt. Sean Sullivan said that officers were attempting to arrest a man wanted in connection with a violent carjacking in the southeast part of the province near Kelowna.
Nanaimo RCMP and the Island District Emergency Response Team “planned to take the vehicle down in a controlled environment when it got off the ferry,” Sullivan said.
“The man exited the vehicle with what our officers believed was a firearm.
“Shots were fired resulting in the male sustaining serious injuries.”
The man, who has not been identified, died later in hospital.
Sullivan would not say whether the man, in fact, had a firearm, saying that will form part of the police watchdog’s investigation.
No officers or members of the public were injured, police said.
The Independent Investigations Office, which probes police-involved deaths, will take control of the case “to see if there is any link between police actions and the male’s injuries,” the RCMP said in a statement.
Sullivan released few details about the carjacking, saying only that RCMP officers are conducting a separate criminal investigation.
Ron MacDonald, chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office, said it was his understanding that B.C. Ferries staff had arranged things in such a way that the suspect vehicle was one of the last to leave the ferry.
“But in terms of the details of the exact interaction between the police and the individual and how many shots were fired and that type of thing, we don’t have those details at this point.”
MacDonald said IIO investigators dispatched to the scene will interview as many witnesses as possible. “We will be attempting to gather, in addition to the forensic evidence from the scene, any video evidence that may be present.”
Police tape surrounded the exit lanes of the ferry terminal on Tuesday afternoon.
A grey hatchback, facing the wrong way in the lanes, was blocked in on three sides by a white cube van, two black vans and a black pickup truck.
Yellow evidence markers were placed along the lanes and a blue tarp was hung up on the fence opposite the vehicles.
The RCMP said it will release no further information and asked potential witnesses to contact the Independent Investigations Office at 1-855-446-8477.
B.C. Coroners Service spokesman Andy Watson confirmed that the coroner is investigating a fatality, but referred questions to the IIO.
Jon Athey said he was in the short-term parking lot at the terminal when he heard a loud bang.
He looked over and saw what he believes was a police vehicle hit a grey car in the lanes exiting the ferry. The car spun around and was hit by a second police vehicle, he said.
Athey said he then saw what he believed were police officers jumping out and firing multiple shots at the vehicle.
”It happened so fast,” he said. “It was just like a movie and it was over in just a flash.”
Frank Leonard, chairman of the Agricultural Land Commission and former Saanich mayor, was waiting to board the 10:40 a.m. sailing when he heard what sounded like a truck backfiring and then six to eight gunshots.
The incident happened at about 10:15 a.m. in the lanes exiting the ferry, Leonard said.
A B.C. Ferries announcement asked people to remain in their cars.
Leonard admits he did get out of his car and walked back to see what was going on. His view was blocked by a fence but Leonard saw a cluster of police vehicles and men in plainclothes jogging over to the area. “There was no noise at all, total silence coming from that area,” Leonard said.
Five minutes later, ambulances arrived. “I saw a stretcher come out of the ambulance but I didn’t see anyone go back in,” he said.
B.C. Ferries staff stopped vehicles from unloading and later re-directed them to exit via the arrivals lanes.
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