BURST
Two police officers acted appropriately in defending themselves and a woman during a terrifying knife attack in east Vancouver last summer, according to B.C.’s police oversight agency.
On Aug. 19, Vancouver police went to an apartment near Rupert Street and Vanness Avenue in east Vancouver after a report of a confrontation between two neighbours .
Police said the officers were met by “a man with a weapon and the suspect was shot by police.” The death prompted an investigation by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.
In the IIO report released Monday, chief civilian director Jessica Berglund described the witness accounts of other residents in the building and scenes from bodycam footage that showed a terrifying situation.
The initial call had come from a resident who said a male neighbour had come to her door and hit her in the head.
Another neighbour living on the same floor told investigators they saw the initial confrontation and watched as the man returned to his own apartment before reappearing with a large knife. The man then knocked on the woman’s door again before moving to the side to hide.
When the woman returned to the door with her dog, the man moved toward her just as police arrived down the hall.
Bodycam footage showed police encountering the man in the hall, while their guns were still holstered, as the man then ran to his apartment. He then quickly re-emerged with a large knife and moved toward the first of two officers.
The first officer tried to fend off the man with one hand while his other hand moved toward his holster. The man then turned his attention to the second officer while the first officer fired a few shots and moved into the woman’s open doorway. The man then pursued the first officer into the suite, while the second officer opened fire.
Following a number of gunshots, the man is seen on the footage falling to the floor, just inside the woman’s doorway.
In total, the report said, the two officers fire 10 shots. First responders treated the man for about 20 minutes but he did not survive.
“The officers were acting in the lawful execution of their duty when they responded to (the 911 call) and attempted to verbally engage with the (man). They were then given virtually no opportunity to take any action other than the rapid deployment of lethal force,” wrote Berglund.
She noted that one officer “was faced with a violent attack at extremely close quarters by an individual wielding a deadly weapon and was justified in defending himself from imminent death or grievous bodily harm, as he did.” The other office “was equally justified in using deadly force to defend his partner.”
“Given the startling circumstances, it should be noted that both officers displayed quick reactions and a commendable level of professionalism in protecting themselves and (the woman) from any injury that might otherwise have been caused,” the report said.