Officers have been cleared of wrongdoing in a deadly police shooting at the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo, B.C., this spring.

According to RCMP, officers were attempting to arrest the man — who was suspected in a violent carjacking in the Okanagan — when they shot him on May 8.

The man later died.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. was called to investigate and released its report on the incident Monday, saying the suspect's actions "presented a life-threatening situation to the police present" and the officers were "justified" in their decision to shoot.

Suspect reached for gun

RCMP were alerted that the man was a suspect in a carjacking in Penticton and would be getting off a ferry at Departure Bay around 10:15 a.m. PT.

Officers were told he had a gun with him in the stolen car.

Mounties pulled the man over as he drove off the ferry. The IIO said the man, who hasn't been identified, reached for the gun when he stopped.

The report said the man and officers fired at the same time. The man ultimately died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The IIO said "it would have been impossible" for officers to know the man didn't intend to shoot Mounties or civilians.

"[The officers] had to act quickly to protect themselves, their fellow officers and the public," the report read.

"Their actions were both justified and consistent with their duties as police officers."

The IIO is called to investigate all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death.

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