B.C.’s police watchdog is hoping to identify and interview a man who witnessed Duncan RCMP shoot a man driving a skid-steer near Evans Park in Duncan on the night of March 28.
On Tuesday, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. released a statement saying its investigation has uncovered video footage showing a man wearing dark shorts and a hoodie on the sidewalk of Somenos Road. Investigators believe the man might have witnessed the shooting and would like to speak to him.
The IIO investigates all police-involved shootings and incidents of serious harm.
The victim, who has since been identified as Davin Cochrane, was seen driving the machinery near Kimberley Drive and Cowichan Lake Road. He continued to travel onto Somenos Road, Hawkes Boulevard, Parkside Place and Glacier Street.
“The man then drove through Evans Park where there were collisions between the skid-steer and police vehicles,” the IIO statement says.
Cochrane, a 32-year-old Ladysmith husband and father, was shot twice in the head. He has been released from Victoria General Hospital and continues to recover at home.
In April, his fiancée, Sarah Annie Brown told the Times Colonist she had learned that Cochrane had been in a car collision earlier that day and was taken to Cowichan District Hospital.
Island Health confirmed Cochrane had received emergency department care at Cowichan District Hospital on the morning of March 28 but said he was not admitted to the hospital. The health authority was unable to share further details to out of concern for patient privacy.
In general, patients who are not admitted under the Mental Health Act, or admitted to a secured unit, have the right to leave hospital at any time, even against medical advice. Non-admitted patients have the right to leave the emergency department at any time, Island Health said.
The IIO is asking witnesses who observed the incident between 9 and 9:30 p.m. and have not already provided a statement, or who have dashcam or other video, to contact the witness line toll free at 1-855-446-8477. Witnesses can also make contact through the form on the iiobc.ca website.
At the time of the incident, RCMP said they received a report of a man who appeared impaired driving a track loader skid-steer down a residential street. The officers tried to get the driver to stop but there were collisions between the loader and police vehicles.
“During the interaction that followed, one officer discharged their weapon striking the driver. Emergency Health Services were called and the man was transported to hospital with serious injuries,” police said.
