B.C. RCMP officer likely injured by police officer fire near Canada-U.S. border, force says

The RCMP say one of its officers was likely injured by police gunfire near the community of Midway, a small town in B.C.'s Kootenay region just north of the Canada-U.S. border.

An RCMP spokesperson said Kelowna RCMP identified a suspicious Ford F-350 pickup truck around 10:30 a.m. PT on Tuesday and began following it.

Police say the truck, which was monitored with air surveillance, eventually began driving up a forest service road near Midway around 1:30 p.m., when plainclothes officers from Penticton and Kelowna and dog handlers attempted to pull it over.

Police arrested two people, and during the arrest, a dog bit a man, according to an RCMP statement.

A police officer was also shot and wounded, the statement said, noting it appears the wounded officer was shot as "a result of police gunfire."

The officer was taken to hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released.

The police force said it could not comment further because the province's Independent Investigations Office (IIO) is now involved, but it added that a workplace safety investigation will also be taking place.

The IIO confirmed it was deploying to Midway as a result of the shooting. It is a civilian-led organization called in to investigate police-involved incidents where serious harm or death has occurred to determine whether police action or inaction was a contributing factor.

The police also say they'll be investigating the suspicious vehicle.