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Family of Jared Lowndes sue RCMP over 2021 shooting death in Campbell River

Jul 7, 2023 | 12:50 PM

VANCOUVER — Family members of a man shot and killed by the RCMP have filed a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court, the day before the two-year anniversary of his death. 

Relatives of Jared Lowndes say in a notice of civil claim that the Campbell River man was shot and killed by unnamed members of the RCMP at a Vancouver Island Tim Hortons on July 8, 2021. 

Lowndes’ mother Laura Holland and his daughters Phoenix and Patience say in their lawsuit that Lowndes was in his vehicle the day he was killed, boxed in by multiple police cars and attacked by a police dog that was sent in through a window. 

The lawsuit says the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia, which is tasked with probing police-involved deaths, referred the case to Crown prosecutors in December 2022, believing charges may be warranted against three Mounties over the use of force. 

Lowndes’ family say they’ve suffered great anguish since the killing, developing depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress after losing the care and guidance and financial support the Wet’suwet’en man provided while he was alive. 

The family’s lawyer, Neil Chantler, says Lowndes’ death at the hands of the RCMP was a senseless killing with many unanswered questions about how police handled the situation. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023. 

The Canadian Press

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