British Columbia’s independent law enforcement watchdog is investigating a police-involved shooting in Penticton on Saturday afternoon.
In an announcement made on Sunday, the Penticton RCMP said that shortly after 4 p.m., police were conducting a traffic stop on a vehicle near the intersection of Green Mountain Road and Sumac Court on Penticton Indian Band territory.
According to police, a man inside the vehicle was in possession of a weapon. The man then ran from the vehicle, which was followed by what police are calling “an interaction” with the officers.
During the “interaction,” authorities say one officer discharged their firearm, and the man suffered “gunshot injuries.”
The suspect was taken to the hospital where they are currently being treated.
The IIO was notified shortly after the incident occurred and has started an investigation.
Residents of Penticton told True North there was a police presence in the area of the alleged shooting until at least 10 a.m. on Sunday morning.
The shooting incident on Saturday follows several other Penticton shooting incidents in recent weeks.
On Mar. 6, Penticton RCMP responded to reports of a shooting in the 200 block of Maple Street in Penticton – just a short drive from where the shooting occurred on Saturday afternoon.
It was the second shooting on that block in less than a month.
Penticton RCMP said “firearms were found and seized” and that they arrested three suspects on Mar. 12 related to the earlier incidents on Maple Street and that “charges are pending.”