(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)
June 07, 2021 - 8:47 AM
A gunfight between police and a suspect in Merritt yesterday is being investigated by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.
Around 3:50 p.m., June 6, Merritt RCMP attempted to pull over a white Ford F-350 pulling a flat deck trailer, which was related to a stolen property file, according to an RCMP news release.
Police say the vehicle then fled the scene and the officer notified dispatchers.
The vehicle was discovered again around 5:30 p.m. on Highway 5A, but the trailer was gone.
The suspect stopped briefly after spike belts were deployed, but then continued. Gun shots were fired between the suspect vehicle and police "throughout the incident," RCMP said.
The vehicle eventually stopped on Highway 8, near Snake Road and Highway 97C, where an adult male and a child under the age of 12 were found inside.
The two individuals were taken to hospital and no one else was injured, police say.
Police have secured "multiple scenes" in anticipation of an oversight investigation into police actions. Merritt RCMP will conduct a separate investigation into the initial traffic stop with the Southeast District General Investigation Services.
Police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C., is now investigating to determine whether police actions or inactions were linked to the two people injured.
Any person with relevant information of the incident can contact the IIO B.C. at 1-855-446-8477 or use the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
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