B.C.’s police watchdog has yet to determine whether or not the death of a man in distress on the Pattullo Bridge was the result of an officer’s actions.
At about 3 a.m. Monday morning, officers from several cities, including New Westminster were dispatched to the Pattullo Bridge following reports of a man in distress.
The Independent Investigations Office has confirmed the man died, according to a media release from the watchdog.
New Westminster police are not commenting on the incident, other than to say the department contacted the Independent Investigations Office following the death.
“The Independent Investigations Office has asserted jurisdiction and will be overseeing the investigation and handling any further media inquiries,” read a statement from New West police.
But that is not quite the case, according to Kellie Kirkpatrick, spokesperson for the police watchdog.
Kirkpatrick confirmed investigators with the office are in New Westminster liaising with the department to determine if there is a connection between the death and an officer’s actions.
“The only reason we put anything out is because New West, evidently, put out a news release out, and we started getting calls, but typically, when we are notified of incidents, and we’re not sure if it falls under our jurisdiction, we don’t even go out with anything public,” Kirkpatrick told the Record.
The independent watchdog often receives up to 10 notifications of incidents from police departments each week, but in only about half of the cases does the office sustain an investigation, Kirkpatrick added.
Further information is expected once the office has made its decision, which could be as soon as the end of today (Monday).
