The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) is looking into an incident in Chase in which a woman jumped from a bridge shortly after an interaction with an RCMP officer.
The civilian organization investigates all police-officer involved incidents in B.C. which result in serious harm or death.
According to the IIO, shortly after noon on Oct. 2, a member of the public alerted police that a young woman, described as wearing a black sweater and dark-coloured jeans, had jumped in front of their vehicle on Pine Street before walking away. An RCMP officer located and spoke to a woman matching the description provided by the caller.
The notice from the civilian investigator states that a few minutes later the RCMP received another call telling them that a young woman had jumped from the Pine Street Bridge, which spans the mouth of the Thompson River. Emergency Health Services transported the woman to hospital with serious injuries. According to the IIO it was quickly determined that the woman taken to hospital was the same one the RCMP officer had recently spoken to.
The IIO will investigate to determine what role, if any, the officers’ actions or inaction may have played in the serious harm of the woman. The investigator is asking that any witnesses who saw or recorded the incident come forward by either calling the IIO Witness Line at 1-855-446-8477 or using the online contact form at iiobc.ca.
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