Watchdog releases details of fatal police shooting of Indigenous man near Tofino

Julian Jones, a 28-year-old Tla-o-qui-aht man, was shot and killed by Mounties on the Opitsaht reserve on Meares Island on Feb. 27, 2021.

British Columbia's police watchdog has released details of its investigation into a fatal police shooting in an Indigenous community near Tofino.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. had already cleared the RCMP officers of wrongdoing in a decision reached in November, but the agency withheld its final report in the case pending the conclusion of criminal court proceedings related to the incident.

An Indigenous civilian monitor was also involved in the investigation, marking the first time such a position had been appointed in an IIO review.

Julian Jones, a 28-year-old Tla-o-qui-aht man, was shot and killed by Mounties on the Opitsaht reserve on Meares Island on Feb. 27, 2021.

Two officers from the Tofino RCMP detachment responded to a home on the reserve around 9:30 p.m. for a complaint that a woman had been sexually assaulted and was being held against her will.

Jones' brother was arrested and handcuffed at the front door of the home before officers were confronted by Jones, who was wielding two long metal files as weapons, according to the IIO report released Friday.

One of the officers deployed a Taser, striking Jones and forcing him to the floor. When he got up, he was still holding the tools and advanced towards the officers, according to the report.