Summerland is a quiet community, where few serious incidents will ever occur.
That’s why the police-involved shooting here, early on Saturday morning is cause for concern.
The incident occurred around 3 a.m., when a police officer stopped to pull over a vehicle for driving-related matters.
Later, near Giant’s Head Mountain, the officer fired several shots.
Several hours later, a man with a gunshot wound arrived at the hospital.
Any time a shooting incident occurs, especially when there is a gunshot-related injury, it is important to investigate, to learn exactly what happened.
The Independent Investigation Office of B.C. has been called in to investigate the incident on Saturday morning.
Whenever police are involved in a shooting incident, for any reason, there is a significant level of concern from the public.
We, as members of the public, want to know shots are fired only when necessary. We want some assurance that gunshots during policing work do not become an everyday occurrence.
In short, we want to know we can trust our police officers.
Their job is not easy and it is not always safe, but they play an important role in our communities.
Until the investigation has been completed, it is impossible to know exactly what has happened, or why it has happened.
Until the facts are known, any conclusions are premature.
While the investigation process may seem slow, it is important that it be done as thoroughly as possible.
The time for conclusions and possible changes comes later, after the facts are known.