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(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

B.C.’s independent police watchdog is recommending charges after investigating a December 2019 traffic stop in Kelowna that ended with a man being shot.

The incident occurred when a Central Okanagan Traffic Services officer was attempting to conduct a traffic stop on a dead-end roadway just after midnight on Dec. 22, near Highland Drive and Glenmore Road in Kelowna

"The pickup truck, driven by a man who is the affected person in this case, did not stop and instead turned off Highway 97 onto residential streets," the Independent Investigations Office statement reads. "The officer pursued and when they reached a dead-end street, an interaction occurred between the man and the officer which resulted in shots being fired by the officer."

Shortly thereafter the driver of the pickup truck had been admitted to hospital with serious injuries.

Upon completion of the investigation, Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald reviewed the evidence and determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe that an officer may have committed offences in relation to the pursuit and use of a firearm.

The office has forwarded a report to the B.C. Prosecution Service for consideration of potential charges.

In order to approve the charges, the B.C. Prosecution Service must be satisfied that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the independent investigators, and that prosecution is required in the public interest.

— Correction: The headline in this story originally said a Kelowna Mountie. It was a Central Okanagan Traffic Services officer in Kelowna.

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