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Southeast District Commander Chief Superintendent Frank Smart confirmed in a news conference Monday evening in Kelowna that 45-year-old Peter DeGroot of Slocan was killed in a police interaction in a cabin west of the village of Slocan.
Chief Supt. Frank Smart released the following statement early this evening:
“Earlier today, at approximately 1:20 p.m., two members of the Emergency Response Team were in an area of Slocan near a gravel pit conducting a search of a cabin. Upon entering the cabin there was an interaction between the subject of the ongoing search and the two ERT members. We can confirm the suspect is now deceased. No police officers nor members of the public were injured.
“We must respect that the specifics around what happened when the individual was located is now subject of an IIO (Independent Investigations Office) BC independent investigation. This was a serious incident and we are providing ongoing support to the families of the deceased as well as the police officers involved.
“The scene has been secured awaiting the arrival of the IIO BC. As per any IIO BC investigation those present during the major police incident are now subjects of the independent investigation.
“With respect to the parallel investigation that was launched after the initial call to police on Thursday October 9, we can confirm that our efforts had wrapped up and we were in the process of releasing the scene of the initial incident and removing all police roadblocks and restrictions in the Slocan area.
“We would like to thank the community of Slocan for the patience and understanding with respect to the police restrictions and requests over the past few days. A number of additional resources were called to manage the police investigation and search and our efforts worked to find the right balance between limiting or opening areas around Slocan as we addressed public safety issued.”
He added that residents in Slocan are no longer in danger.
According to reports, DeGroot exchanged gunfire with officers on Thursday following a dispute the suspect had with another man.
Police say DeGroot fled into the woods, prompting a search that has involved dozens of officers.
Agencies/Canadajournal
