VANCOUVER - The family of a man shot and killed by police say Paul Boyd was a gentle soul who suffered from a mental disorder that could send him into a spiral of delusional paranoia.

Boyd's family issued a statement to the media Monday at a police news conference, saying he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was in his early 20s.

"Most of the time he was well and few would have guessed that he suffered from any kind of mental disorder,'' said the statement.

"But periodically, he would suffer periods of mania and depression which could produce vivid paranoid delusions that made him fear imagined threats.''

He was in the midst of one of these when police shot him dead last week.

"His death means that he will never again have to face the struggle of regaining normality and getting on with his life,'' said the statement.

Boyd's family members were not identified and said in the statement they don't want to give interviews.

But they confirmed Boyd had worked as an animator for 15 years in various Vancouver studios and that his work was highly regarded.

Police shot the 39-year-old last week after he attacked officers with a heavy chain and sent one to hospital with head injuries.

Police said officers originally thought they were being called to an assault, but when they arrived, they found a man alone carrying a claw hammer.

Witnesses said they could hear shouting, though one said the man appeared to be yelling to himself.

He was shot at 9:30 p.m. on busy Granville Street on the edge of one of the city's most upscale shopping districts.

Boyd's family said in the statement, which was handed out to reporters and included a picture, that Boyd was a large man whose appearance could be intimidating.

"But in fact, he was gentle and kind. His actions during his last tragic moments on earth were not part of his personality but were a result of the irrational fear produced by his illness.''

The statement said he will be greatly missed by his parents, two sisters, his niece and nephew and his extended family and many friends.

Bruce Alcock is the director and owner of Global Mechanic, an animation production company where Boyd worked.

"All I can say is he's great guy and amazingly talented,'' Alcock said.

Police have spoken with two dozen witnesses about the shooting and Vancouver police spokesman Const. Howard Chow said they had another 20 more people to speak with.

Chow said they are also looking for some potential video taken around the time of the shooting.

"This is unconfirmed information that one person may have been (videotaping) something leading up to the incident,'' Chow said.

"We haven't had that person come forward.''

If the video does exist, Chow said, police want that person to contact them.

Chow said the officer who was struck unconscious by a chain before the shooting is still on sick leave.