Skip to content

Rough wellness check upsetting: Kelowna mayor

Mayor Colin Basran said the video is hard to watch
21956795_web1_200625-KCN-ubco-union-speaks_1
Photo taken from a surveillance video being used in a civil suit filed against the Kelowna RCMP.

The City of Kelowna’s mayor said the surveillance footage of a student being dragged down a hallway by an RCMP officer is very hard to watch.

Mayor Colin Basran said he is as upset about the video as everyone else in the community.

“Certainly, that video is hard to watch. I went through a range of emotions when I watched it from disappointment to anger and sadness,” he said.

“I think if that was someone who needed mental health help and that was the kind of help they received, it’s just very sad and upsetting to see that.”

UBCO nursing student Mona Wang has filed a civil claim against Kelowna RCMP’s Cpl. Lacy Browning, after a rough wellness check on Wang.

Wang alleges Browning assaulted her, causing injuries to her face, upper thigh, breast, sternum and forearms. Part of the incident was caught on surveillance cameras in the apartment, showing the officer dragging a semi-conscious Wang face-first along the carpeted hallway.

In another surveillance video, the officer is seen stepping on the student’s head.

READ: UBCO student union president speaks out on civil suit filed after alleged rough arrest

Kelowna RCMP and the UBCO students’ union have both released statements addressing the incident.

“Once we received the videos, the materials were reviewed immediately specifically as it relates to the police officer’s actions,” Kelowna RCMP’s Insp. Laura Livingstone said in her statement.

“As a result of the review, we can confirm that an internal Code of Conduct and criminal investigation were initiated and they are ongoing.”

Cpl. Browning has been placed on administrative duties as a result of the incident.

UBCO students’ union president Ali Poostizadeh said the video was shocking.

“The systemic problems we see in law enforcement around the world are present in Canadian communities,” he said.

“We condemn the lack of oversight and use of force by RCMP officers in our community and across Canada.”

READ: UBCO student sues Kelowna RCMP officer for alleged assault during wellness check

READ: Kelowna RCMP release statement after civil suit filed over alleged rough arrest


Twila Amato
Video journalist, Black Press Okanagan
Follow me on Twitter


Twila Amato

About the Author: Twila Amato

Twila was a radio reporter based in northern Vancouver Island. She won the Jack Webster Student Journalism Award while at BCIT and received a degree in ancient and modern Greek history from McGill University.
Read more