Former Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard was at Departure Bay ferry terminal when he heard what he believes was gunshots

One man is dead after a police involved shooting, IIO called in

NANAIMO (NEWS 1130) – One man is dead following a police-involved shooting at the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo.

The Independent Investigations Office confirms a man was shot by police following what it’s calling a ‘carjacking incident’.

“[Nanaimo RCMP] had tracked the vehicle to the ferry that was landing at Departure Bay. As the vehicle left the ferry, attempts were made to stop and engage the male driver. During that interaction, shots were fired,” explains IIO’s Ron Macdonald.

He says the original carjacking happened elsewhere in BC and the man boarded the ferry with the stolen car at the Horseshoe Bay terminal in West Vancouver.

“Our understanding is that the police had tracked the vehicle to the ferry and had awaited it’s arrival.”

Macdonald says now the IIO is looking into whether or not actions by Mounties would constitute an offence. The watchdog is called in for any police involved cases resulting in serious injury or death.

Witness describes the scene

Former Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard says he was waiting to board the 10:40 a.m. ferry from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay. He tells us only a few cars got off an arriving vessel and then there was a break in vessels disembarking.

That’s when he heard a commotion in the exit lanes.

“I thought what I heard was a backfire, like a truck backfiring. It was a loud bang. It seemed like a few seconds after that, then sounded like the sound of gunshots. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Maybe six, maybe eight,” he tells NEWS 1130.

Leonard says emergency vehicles blocked off the exit area.

Vehicles unloading at Departures bay terminal via the arrival area as police and ambulance have exit area blocked after what appears to have been a police shooting pic.twitter.com/2jkSu7fnSa — Frank Leonard (@frank_leonard) May 8, 2018

“There was an announcement telling us to all get in our cars, there was a police incident,” he tells us. “I didn’t behave totally — I wandered back a few cars and saw lots of vehicles. Plain vehicles with flashing lights. I assume them to be police vehicles. They were in a cluster.”

He says everything then went quiet.

“It was really, really quiet. A few minutes after that, ambulances arrived. One unloaded a stretcher.”

Soon after, Leonard says ferry staff started to unload the ferry, using the arrivals section of the terminal.

Leonard adds it appeared to him that it may have been a planned operation. “No cars got off for some time and a police incident happened well away from everybody else. I can try and connect dots, but that is speculation.”

.@iiobc investigators are being deployed to Nanaimo for a police related incident. More information to follow in due course at https://t.co/re8SbnwC9G — IIOBC (@iiobc) May 8, 2018

Sailings are out of Departure Bay were delayed but are back to normal service.

If you have any information about this incident, you can call IIO toll-free witness line at 1-855-446-8477 (TIPS).