UPDATE - July 17, 2015: An apparent witness video of the incident has emerged and the province's police watchdog acknowledged that investigators initially misidentified the person shot.
The man who was killed by police was not the same person who disturbed the public meeting, said the Independent Investigations Office.
"In all of the IIO cases, I've never experienced us having to go forward and clarify information to this degree," said IIO spokeswoman Kellie Kilpatrick.
RCMP in northeastern B.C. shot and killed a masked man who disrupted an informational session on the controversial Site C mega dam project.
Police in Dawson Creek were called to the Fixx Urban Grill inside the Stonebridge Hotel Thursday evening for reports of a man damaging property and disturbing an open house held by BC Hydro.
Responding officers encountered a man outside wearing a mask, said a news release. "Despite officer attempts to de-escalate the situation, a confrontation occurred," said RCMP Insp. Ed Boettcher.
The man was shot and died in hospital, said officials. No officers or other members of the public were hurt.
BC Hydro was holding the last of five open houses this month on its construction planning for Site C. The hydroelectric dam on the Peace River is opposed by environmental groups, citizens, and First Nations. They believe the $8.8-billion project will negatively impact the environment, farming and wildlife in the area.
Despite several ongoing legal challenges, construction is slated to begin this summer.
Curtis Pratt, who was attending the open house, told the Alaska Highway News that he saw a man flipping tables in the restaurant around 6:30 p.m. The man was then escorted outside, said Pratt.
RCMP have secured the shooting scene and will remain there until a team from the Independent Investigations Office arrives in Dawson Creek, about 1,200 kilometres northeast of Vancouver. The civilian-led IIO probes cases involving police that result in death or injury.
No details have been released on how many officers were involved in the shooting, or their backgrounds.
Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.ca/
Author: Andree Lau
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