British Columbia’s civilian police watchdog has cleared the RCMP of any wrongdoing in a fatal standoff last year with a man in the Langley area.
Don Bennett was found dead in the aftermath of a fire at a rural property on Langley’s 0 Avenue on the U.S. border on Nov. 10, 2023. While neither the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) nor the RCMP identified the man, his family has provided his name in media reports.
The report said it started after Mr. Bennett’s employer received several text messages that were potentially threatening, as well as suicidal, during the morning of Nov. 10.
Comments included, “I don’t care if I die … you deliberately destroyed my life … you pushed me too far … I’m losing control.”
The report said the employer called police out of concern that the texts implied a threat to the workplace or staff. Langley RCMP arrived at the large commercial building where Mr. Bennett lived, which included storage for vehicles and equipment.
The door was padlocked and there was no sign of Mr. Bennett, said the report. Police continued their efforts, including “pinging” his mobile phone without success.
They returned to the building around 2 p.m. and witnessed a pit bull come out into a fenced enclosure. A second dog was barking inside the building.
Police called the Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS) for help with the dogs, and the first dog was secured with a catch pole.
Officers entered the building with LAPS staff and called out to tell Mr. Bennett they were there to check on his wellbeing, the report said.
Inside, they found a small room built out of plywood, inside of which was the second barking dog. As LAPS officers tried to manoeuvre a catchpole through a slightly open door, a gunshot was heard and an animal protection officer reported being hit with debris from the door.
Police and LAPS officers retreated and an emergency response team (ERT) was called.
The report said the ERT continuously called to Mr. Bennett to surrender without further violence or risk of harm. He didn’t respond, although more gunshots were heard inside the building.
Police drone footage reviewed by the IIO showed Mr. Bennett firing a rifle at the drone. At another point, he could be seen setting fire to furniture and throwing burning material around the room. He could also be seen spraying “some sort of 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. At one point, the ERT tried to force Mr. Bennett out by using an armoured vehicle to smash a hole in the wall and “inserting a chemical gas.”
By 11 p.m., the building was engulfed in flames, said the report.
It was several days before investigators could start searching the burned property. In one part of the building they found the remains of a rifle and several expended cartridge casings. Mr. Bennett’s remains were discovered at the opposite end of the building. An autopsy was unable to definitively state the cause of death, although there was no indication it was anything but fire.
The report concluded by saying there is no evidence that police were responsible for Mr. Bennett’s death or committed any offence. When a shot was fired through the door, endangering the lives of police and animal protection officers, Mr. Bennett “became arrestable for a serious criminal offence and police were justified in using whatever force was necessary to apprehend him.”
It added, “Once the building was ablaze with (Mr. Bennett) still armed and resistant inside, it was not possible for firefighters to enter without incurring unacceptable risks to themselves.”
The report was signed by Sandra J. Hentzen, the IIO’s interim chief civilian director.
