Report says RCMP failed to alert B.C. watchdog after man's death, leading to lost evidence

Officers with the Prince George RCMP detachment have been cleared of wrongdoing in the death of a man who overdosed last summer. But a report from the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) says police failed to meet their legal duty to immediately notify the watchdog, resulting in the loss of evidence. The report reminded the detachment that the Police Act requires officers to flag any death or serious harm occurring during an interaction with police. IIO Chief Civilian Director Jessica Berglund wrote that the law does not require suspicion of criminality by an officer, or even evidence that force was used, before police must report an incident. She said investigators' inability to examine the scene shortly afterward and seize, examine and document relevant evidence compromises the investigation and the reliability of its conclusions.

The missing evidence was an item the deceased had been holding. Police described it as an axe, while Berglund found it was “more likely a table leg.” She noted that officers' body-worn cameras left investigators with significant evidence.

The incident unfolded early on Aug. 24, 2025. At 4:54 a.m., a 911 call reported screaming and crashing noises from a home in Prince George, and RCMP officers responded. At the scene, officers heard a man say “I'm dying” from behind a closed bedroom door. They kicked it open and saw him lying on the floor, covered in blood. According to the report, the man then held up an item the RCMP believed was an axe and shut the door again with his foot.

Officers called an ambulance but, concerned for their safety, did not force their way back into the room until 5:46 a.m. The man, who had been silent for about 26 minutes by then, was found unresponsive. Berglund said police culpability in those circumstances could only arise from inaction that delayed medical attention, potentially giving rise to negligence charges. She determined that charges were not warranted in this case.

Berglund said RCMP may have been able to remove the man for medical attention sooner, but officers were not required to take the risks involved in entering a dark bedroom with someone they perceived to be armed. She found that taking time to reason with the man and persuade him to come out voluntarily was “not an unreasonable alternative approach.”