LAKE COWICHAN, B.C. — Police on Vancouver Island say emergency response officers had to be called in to make an arrest after a man was found dead at a British Columbia First Nations community.
The RCMP say police were called to Ditidaht First Nations some 150 kilometres northwest of Victoria on Saturday morning, where officers found the victim as well as a "situation at hand" requiring multiple support units to be called in.
Police say the support units included the Emergency Response Team consisting of tactical officers trained in "penetrating blockades and strongholds," as well as "responding to barricaded armed subjects."
Officers then successfully arrested one male suspect in what police are calling an isolated incident and a case of suspicious death without releasing further details.
Ditidaht First Nation chief councillor Judi Thomas says in a letter posted to the Indigenous community's Facebook page that residents were advised at one point during the police operation to stay indoors and keep windows closed.
In another letter released later in the day, Thomas says police will remain in the community "for a couple more days" while health and spiritual support services including counsellors will be brought in to assist community members.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2024.
The Canadian Press
