Update #1 - Driver charged with murder in fatal hit-and-run collision

Comox Valley, Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit

2024-02-28 13:08 PST

File # 2024-1916 / VIIMCU 2024E-3556

Update 2024-02-28: Investigators continue to canvass for any potential witnesses in relation to this incident who have yet to speak with police. Particularly, VIIMCU would like to speak with anyone who was, or spoke with the victim, Rodney Kelly in the evening of February 8, 2024 in Cumberland, BC. Investigators are also appealing for people to review any Dashcam video they may have for the night of February 8, 2024 capturing travel in Cumberland and along the Comox Valley Parkway between the hours of 9:00 PM and 10:30 PM.

The RCMP arrested the driver of a fatal hit-and-run collision in Courtenay.

On February 8, 2024 at 10:56 p.m. Comox Valley RCMP responded to a report of an injured cyclist on the Comox Valley Parkway near Minto Road in Courtenay. The cyclist was located by a passerby who called 911 for help. Emergency Health Services paramedics and Cumberland Fire Department firefighters attended and provided emergency first aid to the victim; however, unfortunately, after being transported to the hospital, he died as a result of his injuries. The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) took conduct of the investigation and located the suspect vehicle involved in the collision while continuing to process the evidence collected so far.

The RCMP can now confirm that they have arrested the driver on Saturday, February 10, 2024 in the Comox Valley. 45-year-old Steven Squires of Cumberland has been charged with: