British Columbia’s police watchdog is investigating after a man was found dead in a pickup truck hours after an officer-involved shooting in Abbotsford. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. says Abbotsford police officers were at a commercial gas station in the 30000-block of Matsqui Place just before midnight when they observed two men believed to be involved in property crime. Sgt. Paul Walker of the Abbotsford Police Department told CTV News the incident occurred at the Petro-Pass Truck Stop near the Trans-Canada Highway. As officers approached, the two men got into a grey Dodge Ram pickup truck and drove away from the scene, the IIO said in a statement Monday. “At one point during that interaction, an officer discharged their firearm,” the statement from the police oversight agency said. The pickup continued travelling west and was last observed heading into Langley, where local police were later alerted to a man inside a pickup in front of a residence, the IIO said. Officers responded to the scene near 272 Street and 30 Avenue in the Aldergrove area shortly after 3 a.m. and found the same pickup truck from the incident the night before. One man was found dead inside the truck, according to the IIO and Abbotsford police. Police investigators are now searching for the second man involved in the incident, while the IIO is asking anyone who witnessed the attempted arrest in Abbotsford or the truck’s arrival in Aldergrove to contact the agency. The IIO investigates all police-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there is any allegation of police wrongdoing. Police have cordoned off the Aldergrove area where the truck and deceased man were located. “There is no ongoing risk to public safety in the Aldergrove area,” Walker said in an email. “The Aldergrove scene represents the final location associated with an incident that originated in Abbotsford.”
