A report from the Independent Investigations Office of BC has concluded there is no evidence that any unjustified action or inaction by police contributed to the death of a Parksville man in July 2023.
The man, referred to as the "affected person" (AP) in the IIO report, was identified as John Boyce in a July 2023 news release by Oceanside RCMP.
He was arrested for mischief in Parksville the evening of July 18, 2023 after he was reported as having knocked over a musician's equipment at a street market, according to a report by Jessica Berglund, chief civilian director with the IIO.
Earlier that evening, Boyce was noticed by people when he asked for someone to call the police. He had a black eye and dried blood on his nose and hands, according to the report.
Witnesses told IIO investigators they saw the man trip and fall, hitting the back of his head on the ground. When a person at the market called for an ambulance, he stumbled away. As he had left the scene, BC EHS passed the call onto Oceanside RCMP.
A short time later police received a complaint that a man was causing a disturbance. The responding officer was told a man had kicked over equipment of a band playing at the market.
“A witness told the officer that the AP had been punched and kicked by ‘other homeless people’,” Berglund's report noted.
The man was arrested for mischief “without any significant use of force being reported by civilian witnesses” and was “not showing any signs of serious injury”, the report said.
Witnesses heard the arresting officer ask Boyce, before closing the vehicle's door, if he was OK or needed anything.
When police booked Boyce into cells at approximately 8 p.m., they noted he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, as well as his swollen eye. During the night, he moved around “purposefully at 10-to-15-minute intervals in the cell”, and was checked on periodically by jail guards.
Shortly after 8 a.m., an officer took him from his cell, assisted him with a shower, and gave him clean clothes to wear.
That morning Boyce appeared calm, but still intoxicated, so police called for paramedics to check on him, the report said.
He was transported to hospital routine, with no emergency lights or siren. There he was found to be suffering from a brain injury and was transferred to a hospital in Vancouver, where he died the morning of July 22.
The autopsy report indicated the cause of death was “complications of ruptured intracranial aneurysm with blunt force trauma a significant contributing factor”.
The IIO report found the evidence is that Boyce was "treated appropriately and respectfully" by police.
“There is no evidence that any unjustified action or inaction on the part of any officer contributed in any way to the AP’s death," the report said.
The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
