Photo courtesy: Canadian Press
IIO investigates

Police watchdog investigating death of man in Quesnel

Oct 30, 2025 | 12:33 PM

QUESNEL — British Columbia’s police watchdog is investigating following the death of one man in Quesnel this week.

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) says the death occurred Monday morning (Oct.27).

Information provided by the police states that at around 1:10 a.m., officers responded to a call about an unwanted person outside a building on Carson Ave. Police attended and spoke to the man before leaving.

Shortly after 8:30 a.m., BC Emergency Health Services responded to a call about a person at the same location. Paramedics found the man who police had spoken to earlier in the day.

The man was unresponsive, and paramedics provided aid, however he was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The IIO was notified of the incident shortly after it occurred and is now investigating.

There are two factors that the IIO considers at the beginning of each investigation:

  1. If there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, or a death; and
  2. If there is a connection between the serious harm/death and officer or detention guard action or inaction.

If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred.

The IIO is asking that any witnesses that have not already provided a statement, or who have video footage of the incident, to please contact the IIO at our Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.