B.C.'s police watchdog is recommending changes to how police interact with Indigenous people and communities, as well as people experiencing a mental health crisis, in the wake of an investigation into RCMP actions during an incident three years ago that left a Williams Lake, B.C., man dead.
B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office (IIO) released a report last week detailing the events of July 10, 2022 .
The report states that just after 3:42 a.m. PT, a family member called police to report that a man was suicidal at their home in Williams Lake. Another family member said the man was intoxicated and had a loaded firearm.
According to the report, police, including crisis negotiators, tried to speak with the man several times, but were not successful. Tear gas was used in an attem