West Vancouver police say a suspect is in hospital after an “exchange of gunfire” with officers early Monday morning.
According to a release issued by the West Vancouver Police Department, officers were called to the westbound Highway 1 off-ramp at 15th Street just before 3 a.m. after receiving a complaint about an impaired driver.
“During the interaction with the male, there was an exchange of gunfire and the male was struck by a police vehicle. The male was transported to hospital for treatment. The extent of his injuries have yet to be determined,” the release stated.
The province’s Independent Investigations Office has now been called in to review the incident. The IIO is called in whenever a person faces serious harm or death in an interaction with police, regardless of whether there are allegations of wrongdoing, to determine what role, if any, police actions or inactions played.
The IIO issued their own release just before noon on Monday. In it, they state the suspect is "in serious condition."
Because of the IIO investigation, West Vancouver police will not be releasing further information about the incident, the release states.
