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Penticton man dies hours after wellness check; B.C’s police watchdog investigating

The man died of what police believe to be a self-inflicted injury
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The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is looking into the circumstances around a Penticton man’s death on Oct. 2. (Black Press file photo)

B.C.’s police watchdog has started an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a Penticton man.

South Okanagan Mounties have provided the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) information regarding an Oct. 2 wellness check police performed hours before a man died of suspected self-inflicted wounds.

Police informed the IIO they responded to a wellness check at the man’s residence on the 900-block of Holden Road at 7:30 a.m. Officers attended the home and spoke to the man before leaving.

A second request for a wellness check was sent to the RCMP around 11:30 a.m, but reportedly, no new concerns had been raised. The RCMP did not send an officer to do a second check.

Around 6 p.m., the man was found dead from an injury that appears to have been self-inflicted, and the IIO was notified the same day.

The IIO investigation will determine what role, if any, police actions or inactions may have played in the death.

READ ALSO: Police watchdog recommends charges be considered in Shuswap arrest that injured suspect

The IIO asks anybody with relevant information about the incident to contact the witness line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.

If you are in crisis, help is available:

* Call 310-6789 to be connected to the crisis centre nearest you (no area code required)

* Crisis Services Canada: crisisservicescanada.ca

* British Columbia: crisislines.bc.ca

* VictimLinkBC: 1-800-563-0808

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Brennan Phillips

About the Author: Brennan Phillips

Brennan was raised in the Okanagan and is thankful every day that he gets to live and work in one of the most beautiful places in Canada.
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