The Independent Investigations Office of BC has determined that RCMP were not responsible for the death of a Duncan man in December.
The IIO’s Chief Civilian Director, Ronald MacDonald says he does not consider there to have been reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed any offence, and the matter will not be referred for charges.
In the incident, a man called 911 complaining of breathing difficulties. He was redirected twice, to EMS and before the call dropped. Dispatchers tried to reach him again before sending officers to his home.
Officers knocked and rang the doorbell repeatedly, before being sent to a different location where his cell phone had been pinged. They looked for an hour before discontinuing their search.
The man was later found dead in his home by a neighbour. An investigation was opened into the incident in January and it was closed on Thursday with a report from MacDonald.
In its conclusion, the report says, “The evidence as a whole strongly suggests that [the man] died within a short time of his truncated 911 call, so it is unlikely that failure by police to locate him and render assistance upon their arrival at his address would have changed the unfortunate outcome in this case.”
