Police actions were not a factor in the death an 83-year-old man found in a vehicle under water in Sproat Lake last December in Port Alberni, B.C’s civilian-led police-watchdog agency says.
The Independent Investigations Office said in a report that there are no reasonable grounds to conclude that any officer committed an offence in the case. The agency investigates all police-related incidents resulting in death or serious injury.
The case began about 6:45 p.m. on Dec. 13 when Port Alberni RCMP responded to a report about concerns for the well-being of an elderly man driving a vehicle, the agency said.
He was reportedly located by an officer who spoke to him about 8:40 p.m.
On Dec. 15, the man was found dead inside his vehicle submerged in Sproat Lake, near the 10700-block of Lakeshore Road.
Photographs, witness statements and police reports were all part of the agency’s review.
