Police watchdog investigating death of Surrey, B.C., student following confrontation with RCMP

B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating after a teen was killed during a confrontation with RCMP in Surrey, B.C., on Sunday.

Students at Clayton Heights Secondary, about 20 kilometres southeast of downtown Vancouver, say the teen went to school there and was in Grade 10.

The Surrey School District issued a statement Monday confirming that a student from the school had died over the weekend but did not explicitly link the death to the police shooting.

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) says it will look at the actions of police following an "interaction" between police and a person near 185 Street and 70 Avenue in the Clayton Heights neighbourhood, during which officers shot the suspect.

The person was declared dead at the scene. 

Officers say they were called to a schoolyard in the 7000 block of 188 Street at about 2:40 p.m. PT following reports of a person in distress with a firearm, according to the B.C. RCMP.

A CBC News reporter has viewed security camera footage of the shooting. It shows a person walking across a yard, pointing what appears to be a handgun at his head.

Police can be heard shouting and asking the person not to harm himself, and at one point, the person points what appears to be a handgun in the direction of the police.

The person then moves behind a bush, out of the camera's view, and the footage shows two officers taking cover behind a police car.

What sounds like two gunshots can then be heard in quick succession before several officers rush into the frame towards the person.

John Pedersen, who lives right next to where the teen was shot, had one bullet enter his garage and ricochet off a wall during the shooting.

He recalls hearing a couple of loud bangs in the afternoon and initially thought someone was kicking down his back door before a police officer knocked on his door to ask him if anyone was hurt.

The Surrey man says that police officers were coming in and out of the house throughout the day and was critical of police.

"Why do they have to shoot, you know? It was like 3:30-ish when it happened," he said.

"If you can't see that it's a kid, you know, I mean ... maybe you should go get your eyes checked."

Identity not released by police

The identity and age of the person killed have not been released by authorities, but students at Clayton Heights Secondary confirmed the victim's identity to CBC News.

"We're still in the early stage of the investigation, so we do have a team that is there interviewing witnesses, canvassing the neighbourhood for anyone who may have witnessed the incident, as well as collecting any physical evidence that might exist at the scene," said Jessica Berglund, IIO's chief civilian director.  

The B.C. RCMP says B.C. Emergency Health Services were staged nearby and were called in immediately to help after the suspect was shot, but they couldn't save the person. 

The IIO is now investigating whether police actions were "necessary, reasonable, and proportionate in the circumstances."

The oversight agency investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there are any allegations of wrongdoing.

"We appreciate everyone in the community, and the larger public is very interested and concerned about this incident, so we are going to investigate in as timely manner as possible and provide updates as we are able," said Berglund. 

The school district said that counsellors would be on site Monday to help students and staff after the shooting.