British Columbia’s civilian police watchdog has cleared RCMP of any wrongdoing in a fire that claimed a man’s life during a standoff with officers last year.
Don Bennett was found dead in the wreckage of the Nov. 10 fire at a rural property on Zero Avenue in Langley.
In a report issued Friday, Independent Investigation Officer interim chief civilian director Sandra Hentzen laid out the circumstances leading up to the deadly fire.
According to the IIO, Bennett’s employer had called police after receiving a series of potentially threatening and suicidal text messages, with comments including “you destroyed my life” and “I have nothing more to lose … I’d rather die.”
Officers were deployed to conduct a welfare check at his dwelling, located in a larger commercial building.
Police visited the property twice, finding it locked the first time and returning to find aggressive guard dogs the second time, according to the IIO.
When animal protection officers arrived to help, someone inside the building fired a gun in their direction, according to the report.
Mounties pulled back and called in an emergency response team, which deployed around the property as police urged the man inside to come out, according to the report.
Bennett did not respond, but police heard several gunshots from inside.
Police drone footage reviewed by the IIO showed him firing a rifle at one point, and at another point lighting a fire on top of furniture inside, spreading the burning material and spraying what appeared to be an accelerant on the floor.
As the fire grew, police prevented firefighters from entering the property due to the risk of being shot, the IIO said.
The flames completely engulfed the building by 11 p.m., and Bennett’s remains were found several days later though an autopsy couldn’t determine his cause of death.
In her report, Hentzen concluded there were no reasonable grounds to conclude any officer had committed an offence.
Police would have been justified in using force to arrest Bennett once he opened fire, but that it was reasonable to retreat and wait for the help of the ERT team.
“Once the building was ablaze with (Bennett) still armed and resistant inside, it was not possible for firefighters to enter without incurring unacceptable risk to themselves,” she added.
Bennett’s daughter, however, has raised concerns with the police response.
In a November interview, Nicky McIntosh told Global News her father was having a mental health crisis that was exacerbated by the presence of police, and questioned whether mental health workers were included in the original callout.
McIntosh added that the family wasn’t told about the wellness check until about 10 p.m. the day of the incident.
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