B.C.鈥檚 police watchdog has started an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a Penticton man.

South Okanagan Mounties have provided the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) information regarding an Oct. 2 wellness check police performed hours before a man died of suspected self-inflicted wounds.

Police informed the IIO they responded to a wellness check at the man鈥檚 residence on the 900-block of Holden Road at 7:30 a.m. Officers attended the home and spoke to the man before leaving.

A second request for a wellness check was sent to the RCMP around 11:30 a.m, but reportedly, no new concerns had been raised. The RCMP did not send an officer to do a second check.

Around 6 p.m., the man was found dead from an injury that appears to have been self-inflicted, and the IIO was notified the same day.

The IIO investigation will determine what role, if any, police actions or inactions may have played in the death.

The IIO asks anybody with relevant information about the incident to contact the witness line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the website.

If you are in crisis, help is available:

* Call 310-6789 to be connected to the crisis centre nearest you (no area code required)

* Crisis Services Canada: crisisservicescanada.ca

* British Columbia: crisislines.bc.ca

* VictimLinkBC: 1-800-563-0808

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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