The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has asked an oversight body to review the RCMP's actions surrounding the death of a man in Prince George this summer - including an allegation police told witnesses to delete video evidence of the takedown.
Dale Culver, 35, died July 18 shortly after RCMP pepper sprayed him during an arrest.
RCMP have said Culver was apprehended after police were called to a complaint of a man "casing" vehicles near the 10th Avenue Liquor Store as if looking to break into them.
However, in a complaint filed Monday with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP, the BCCLA said there is reason to believe RCMP encountered Culver several hours after the call had been made and question the basis on which they targeted him as a suspect.
Culver was a member of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, based near Smithers, and the BCCLA are raising the possibility that racial bias on the part of RCMP officers played a role in the incident.
Moreover, the BCCLA said it has heard from witnesses that the police told them to delete the cellphone video they had taken of the incident.
"It's shocking and something like that should never happen," BCCLA executive director Josh Paterson said in an interview. "If police engaged in that kind of activity, it would be a crime."
At any rate, Paterson said in the complaint the BCCLA said it is aware of reports Culver was forcibly taken to the ground and beaten immediately after exiting the liquor store and understands the Coroner's office found swelling of Culver's brain.
RCMP have said Culver appeared to have trouble breathing after he was pepper sprayed and was taken out of the police car after an ambulance arrived, but he immediately collapsed and was pronounced dead in hospital shortly afterwards.
The incident remains under investigation by the Independent Investigation Office, the civilian-based watchdog that investigates police-involved deaths and serious injuries for criminal wrongdoing. In contrast to the IIO, Ottawa-based CRCC investigates incidents for violations of the RCMP's policies and procedures. It also make recommendations for changes to procedures.
IIO chief civilian director Ron MacDonald said the agency is investigating both the circumstances surrounding Culver's arrest and the allegation witnesses were told to delete their cellphones, "and as is typical, we don't make comments on our conclusions until we've completed all our work."
CRCC spokeswoman Kate McDerby said the commission will likely follow up on the BCCLA's complaint once the the IIO has completed its investigation.
"In my experience at the commission, and I've been here for awhile, when we get a complaint like this we always make sure that policies and procedures were observed or make recommendations on how they need to be improved whether or not criminality was found," McDerby said.
Paterson said the BCCLA wanted to file the complaint with the CRCC before a one-year deadline for doing so had passed.
"You can't wait until the IIO is done before deciding whether or not you want to go to the commission because you'll have timed out already," Paterson said. "The IIO routinely now takes about two years to finish its investigation."
Witnesses who have not already stepped forward are asked to contact the IIO at 1-855-446-8477.
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