Warning: This story mentions suicide. A list of crisis resources is included at the end of this article. A Surrey, B.C., police officer who spent the final moments of a 15-year-old autistic teenager’s life trying to save him offered an emotional apology to the teen’s family Tuesday, telling a coroner’s inquest he wished he could have done more to prevent the fatal shooting. Const. Mark Peterse, a specially trained crisis negotiator who responded to Chase De Balinhard’s mental-health emergency on Feb. 9, 2025, described performing CPR on the teenager after he was shot by police. Peterse testified that he stroked Chase’s hair, reassured him that he was safe and loved, and remained beside him until he stopped breathing. Chase’s family wept during the account, prompting presiding coroner John Knox to briefly pause proceedings. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could have done more for Chase. I tried everything I could,” Peterse told the inquest. His testimony came on a day in which jurors and the public also heard Chase’s final 911 call and the police radio communications documenting the response that ended in his death. Together, the recordings and testimony offered a detailed account of what emergency responders knew, the steps officers took to communicate with Chase and the questions that remain about whether his autism and individual needs were adequately understood. Experienced crisis negotiator Peterse, who joined the Surrey Police Service after previously serving with the RCMP, testified that he had worked in policing for approximately 13 years and spent about seven years with specialized police mental-health teams. He was responding that day with Car 67, a program that pairs a police officer with a psychiatric nurse to assist people experiencing mental-health crises. Peterse also had additional training as a crisis negotiator, including techniques intended to establish trust, build rapport and de-escalate volatile situations. He told jurors he and his nurse partner joined the response after hearing an emergency call involving a suicidal teenager at Clayton Heights Secondary School. The nurse accessed available clinical information and helped identify Chase as autistic and having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Peterse said he broadcast that information over police radio so other responding officers would know about Chase’s diagnoses. He also described turning off his emergency lights and siren before reaching the school because he did not want to further alarm the teenager. When Peterse first approached Chase, he found him sitting against a fence with what appeared to be a revolver beside him. The officer testified that he introduced himself by his first name and gave a large wave, intending to appear friendly and non-threatening. But Chase stood up, holding the apparent firearm, swore at him and walked away. Peterse said he continued trying to communicate as officers followed Chase through nearby trails, a townhouse complex and parkland. “I was yelling, Chase, you’re safe. We’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to help,” he testified. He estimated he repeated those reassurances at least 10 to 12 times during their encounters. Despite those efforts, Peterse testified that Chase did not engage with him and repeatedly moved away. He described the situation as extremely “high-risk” because officers believed they were confronting an armed, suicidal teenager near a school and residential neighbourhood. Could attempts to help have made things worse? Under questioning from J.A. Pankiw-Petty, the lawyer representing Chase’s family, Peterse was asked whether some of the techniques he used to appear approachable might have had unintended consequences for an autistic person. Pankiw-Petty questioned whether the officer’s large wave and repeated shouted reassurances could have been interpreted as threatening or overwhelming. Peterse acknowledged that his autism-specific training was limited compared with his broader crisis-negotiation experience. He explained that he had been calling to Chase from a distance of approximately 75 metres and needed to raise his voice to be heard. “I hope I didn’t, but you know, it’s not what my intent was,” Peterse said when asked whether the shouting could have contributed to Chase becoming dysregulated. The lawyer emphasized that he was questioning the possible effects of the communication, not suggesting Peterse intended to frighten Chase. Peterse also acknowledged that he had not been aware of an individualized safety plan developed for the teenager. The plan included strategies for calming Chase and information about people and familiar references that could help him feel safe. Peterse agreed that further practical training about autism and neurodivergence could improve officers’ ability to recognize signs of distress and communicate effectively. However, he repeatedly emphasized that Chase was carrying what officers believed to be a real firearm. “Unfortunately, it’s still a gun call,” he told the inquest. He said protecting Chase, responding officers, and the public had to remain a priority throughout the encounter. The testimony did not establish that Peterse’s communication techniques caused Chase’s behaviour to escalate. Why wasn’t a less-lethal weapon used? Peterse was carrying a 40-millimetre less-lethal launcher, a weapon designed to fire large rubber projectiles and potentially incapacitate a person without using conventional ammunition. He testified that its effective range was approximately two to 40 metres. Throughout the encounter, Peterse said he repeatedly considered whether he could use the launcher to stop Chase. But he described several obstacles, including the distance between them, limited visibility, Chase’s movements and the danger of provoking someone believed to be holding a loaded handgun. At one point, Peterse estimated he was 75 to 100 metres away — well beyond the launcher’s intended range. During another encounter, he considered firing from a considerable distance but decided against it. He testified that a missed or ineffective projectile might prompt Chase to fire his apparent weapon, placing the teenager, officers and nearby civilians in greater danger. Peterse said he moved closer and prepared to deploy the launcher when he believed he might have an opportunity. He recalled shouting “40 up,” a warning to fellow officers that he intended to fire a less-lethal projectile rather than a conventional firearm. But Chase turned and ran before Peterse could take the shot. A short time later, Peterse heard two gunshots. He testified that he did not witness the shooting itself. Under further questioning, Peterse agreed that he had not had a viable opportunity to use the launcher within its effective range and in an appropriate tactical position. He said he had spent considerable time reflecting on whether he could have used it sooner. Jurors also heard about the limitations of conducted-energy weapons, commonly called Tasers, and the dangers involved in approaching an armed, moving individual. Mental-health information, unanswered questions The role of the psychiatric nurse accompanying Peterse was another focus of Tuesday’s testimony. RCMP Sgt. Kurt Bulow, who supervised the initial police response, testified that he did not directly consult the nurse while developing the initial plan to approach and contain Chase. The plan was to establish communication and prevent the armed teenager from encountering members of the public. Bulow said the situation changed quickly as Chase moved away from his initial location. Peterse testified that his nurse partner had access to clinical information unavailable directly to police officers. He said she remained in the Car 67 vehicle, reviewing records and looking for information that might assist the response. However, he acknowledged that she did not communicate additional information to him after he left the vehicle to approach Chase. Peterse said he later understood that the nurse had been investigating Chase’s care history and attempting to obtain further information, including potentially contacting his mother, Crystal. But Peterse was unable to independently confirm whether the nurse actually placed a call to Crystal. Crystal De Balinhard has maintained that no first responders contacted her during the police encounter with her son. Jurors also heard that police dispatchers had identified Chase’s father, Rick, and a possible family address. Bulow testified that he had not assigned an officer to contact the parents during the incident.Police dispatch recordings played during the inquest captured a dispatcher identifying a possible home address for Chase and asking whether an officer should be sent there to contact his family. Peterse later testified that he recalled an officer being directed toward the home, but believed that officer may have been redirected as the situation unfolded. He could not confirm whether anyone actually went to the residence. Whether additional information from Chase’s family or medical providers could have assisted responding officers remains among the questions being examined. The Car 67 psychiatric nurse is expected to testify in the coming days, potentially clarifying what information she accessed, what efforts she made to contact Chase’s family and whether that information was communicated to police. Peterse also acknowledged he had not been aware of Chase’s existing mental-health safety plan. He testified that such information could potentially have helped officers, while stressing that they were still responding to an apparent firearm threat. Civilians describe frightening encounters Tuesday’s proceedings also included testimony from two civilian witnesses who encountered Chase as he moved through a residential neighbourhood. Monique Ross described coming face to face with the teenager while walking near a townhouse complex. She testified that a young mother with a baby had warned her about an armed person nearby. Ross said she subsequently found herself standing only a short distance from Chase, who was holding what appeared to be a handgun across his abdomen. She described him as silent and expressionless. “I didn’t want to turn around and run because I didn’t want to get shot in the back,” Ross testified. She said she remained still, frightened and unsure what to do. Under questioning from the family’s lawyer, Ross acknowledged she had not observed Chase point the gun directly at her. However, she emphasized that she had been concentrating on his face and could not account for every movement of the weapon. Another witness, Edward Bell, testified that he encountered Chase while walking through the townhouse complex. Bell said he initially saw the teenager holding the apparent firearm against his head. He testified that Chase briefly turned and pointed the object over his shoulder in Bell’s direction, prompting him to run for cover. Bell also described Chase as moving slowly, stumbling and appearing off balance. Under questioning, Bell acknowledged that the encounter lasted only seconds and said he believed Chase may have been frightened. Neither civilian witness observed the fatal police shooting. Police supervisor describes public-safety concerns Bulow testified that officers initially assessed Chase as an armed person in crisis who was not actively harming anyone. Their plan was to contain him, communicate and attempt to de-escalate the situation. But the sergeant described growing concerns as Chase left the school grounds and moved through residential areas, at times pointing what appeared to be a handgun toward police. “The overarching priority is, of course, the safety of the public,” Bulow told the inquest. He said officers also had to consider the safety of the teenager and responding personnel. Bulow testified that officers were attempting to prevent Chase from entering areas where members of the public might encounter him. Jurors heard evidence about the difficulties of maintaining containment in an open residential neighbourhood, including limited cover and the presence of bystanders. Although Bulow had general crisis-intervention and de-escalation training, he testified that he had not received autism-specific instruction. He said additional information can be valuable but maintained that officers had to respond to the immediate danger posed by what appeared to be a firearm. Chase’s final 911 call heard publicly Earlier Tuesday, the inquest heard the approximately 19-minute emergency call Chase made from behind Clayton Heights Secondary School on Feb. 9, 2025. The teenager told Surrey Police Service call-taker Michael Peteers that he intended to take his own life. “I’m gonna kill myself,” Chase said. He spoke calmly and politely through much of the recording, repeatedly apologizing when he struggled to understand or answer certain questions. At one point, when asked for his home address, he explained: “I’m sorry. I’m autistic.” Chase described having experienced depression for approximately two years and feeling increasingly isolated from his peers. “Honestly, I don’t have any friends anymore. They just ignore me now,” he told the operator. He also expressed frustration with the mental-health treatment he was receiving. “I don’t think they take it seriously,” Chase said. His treating psychiatrist, Dr. Patricia Frew, testified Monday that Chase had experienced chronic suicidal thoughts but that she had not identified an active plan requiring hospitalization at their last appointment, approximately one month before his death. She cautioned that she could not assess his state of mind on the day he was shot. Chase also told Peteers that he had taken what he described as a revolver from a locked drawer in his father’s office. He said he knew which key opened the drawer and did not know whether the weapon was loaded. The inquest has heard from Chase’s mother that the family ordinarily secured the weapon and did not knowingly leave it accessible to him. The Independent Investigations Office later identified the object as a realistic-looking .22-calibre CO2 pellet pistol containing six pellets and a full CO2 cartridge. During the emergency call, Chase also told the operator he did not trust police. When Peters asked whether that extended to wanting to harm officers, Chase replied, “Both.” Peters testified he took the statement seriously and entered it into the dispatch information available to responding police. The call ended after an Peterse approached Chase and the teenager shouted an expletive. Call-taker acknowledges training gaps Peteers testified that although he had received training to handle emergency calls, he had no specific instruction on communicating with autistic people. He said his initial instruction included approximately one hour devoted specifically to mental-health crisis calls. He also testified that he had not received a dedicated crisis-intervention and de-escalation course or routine refresher training on suicide-related calls. Under questioning from the family’s lawyer, Peteers acknowledged that he had not been trained on how compound questions, ambiguous language or unfamiliar terms might affect some autistic callers. He said he tried to speak calmly, use straightforward language and avoid escalating Chase’s distress. Peteers also said he would welcome practical autism-specific training for emergency call-takers. He testified that Surrey Police Service was introducing additional training and reviewing its procedures. Jurors questioned Peteers about why the incident remained classified as a suicide call after police learned Chase had a firearm, why he had not sought more detail about the weapon, and whether anyone considered contacting the teenager’s parents. Peters explained that the original call classification generally remained unchanged once officers had been assigned, even as new information was added. He said he was cautious about repeatedly questioning Chase about the firearm because he did not want to agitate him. The call-taker also testified that Chase mentioned a previous tailbone surgery and expressed pain during the call. His mother previously told the inquest Chase was recovering from surgery for a pilonidal cyst and required ongoing wound care. Peteers could not recall whether he had communicated the surgery information to responding officers. Police radio recordings reveal unfolding response The jury also heard recordings of police radio communications made as officers searched for and followed Chase. The transmissions included updates about the teenager’s location, physical description, suicidal statements and apparent firearm. Officers were advised that Chase was autistic and had ADHD. The recordings also documented requests for tactical equipment, updates about attempts to contain the teenager and warnings as he moved through the neighbourhood. At one point, a dispatcher relayed that Chase had put the gun down beside him but that it remained within arm’s reach. Later transmissions described him moving away from police, carrying the weapon and entering residential areas. The recordings ended with reports of shots fired, an officer requesting medical assistance and confirmation that a person had been struck in the upper chest. The 911 call and police radio recordings were entered into evidence as separate exhibits. CTV News seeks release of recordings CTV News and other media outlets made submissions to the coroner Tuesday requesting copies of the complete 911 call recording. The consortium argued that allowing the public to hear the evidence directly would promote transparency and provide important context that written transcripts and summaries cannot fully convey. It also requested access to the transcript used during the hearing. Inquest counsel opposed releasing copies of the 911 recording and transcript, raising concerns about the consequences of distributing audio of a vulnerable teenager in an acute mental-health crisis. Counsel for the family took no position on whether the audio should be released but asked that any media use be sensitive to Chase’s circumstances and to other people living with autism or experiencing suicidal thoughts. The coroner deferred a decision, saying he needed time to consider the submissions and the potential effects of releasing the recording. CTV News has requested access to both the 911 and police dispatch recordings. A decision is expected as early as Thursday, Nov. 12, when the inquest resumes. Officer describes Chase’s final moments Perhaps the most emotional testimony Tuesday came as Peterse described what happened after he heard the gunshots. He testified that he ran toward Chase, handed his less-lethal launcher to another officer and began CPR. Officers applied a chest seal to the teenager’s gunshot wound. Peterse said the Car 67 psychiatric nurse subsequently joined the medical response, bringing additional first-aid equipment and a defibrillator. He described positioning himself near Chase’s head, rubbing his hair and speaking to him as officers continued efforts to save his life. He remained with Chase until the teenager stopped breathing. His testimony also included a reminder of the risks officers believed they faced. Peterse said he had considered Chase’s apparent revolver to be a genuine firearm throughout the encounter and had tried to balance the need to help the teenager with the safety of the public and police. At the conclusion of the family’s lawyer’s questioning, Pankiw-Petty delivered a message from Chase’s parents. He told Peterse that the family considered the compassion he showed Chase in his final moments extraordinarily kind and said it was deeply appreciated. Shooting legally justified The inquest follows a December 2025 investigation by B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office that concluded the police shooting was legally justified. According to the watchdog, officers attempted to apprehend Chase for approximately 22 minutes as he moved through public areas. Witness officers described the teenager repeatedly pointing what appeared to be a handgun toward police and, at times, holding it against his own head. At approximately 3:17 p.m., two officers fired almost simultaneously after Chase pointed the apparent firearm toward them. Chase was struck by a single bullet to the chest and died at the scene. The IIO determined the officers had objectively reasonable grounds to fear death or grievous bodily harm. It found no reasonable grounds to believe an officer had committed a criminal offence and did not refer the matter to Crown counsel. The officer who fired the fatal shot did not provide a statement to IIO investigators, which subject officers are not legally required to do. The police watchdog also identified gaps in autism-specific training among responding officers. It acknowledged expert opinions that sensory overload may have affected Chase’s ability to communicate, while concluding officers had reasonably responded to what they believed was an imminent firearm threat. Family seeking recommendations, not blame Chase’s parents have repeatedly emphasized that they hope the inquest will lead to improvements in the way emergency responders communicate with autistic people and others experiencing mental-health crises. His mother, Crystal, previously suggested that a voluntary information registry could allow families to share communication needs, safety plans and emergency contacts with first responders. “We know they didn’t go up there to hurt our son. It’s never been us against them. It’s just about training,” she told the inquest Monday. Unlike the IIO investigation, the coroner’s inquest cannot determine criminal or civil liability. Its purpose is to establish the circumstances surrounding Chase’s death and consider recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths. Those recommendations are not legally binding. Proceedings are scheduled to resume Thursday, with additional testimony expected from responding officers, medical personnel and other witnesses. The broader circumstances surrounding Chase’s death and questions about autism-specific police training were previously examined in CTV News Vancouver’s five-part investigative series, Lost in Translation: The Death of Chase De Balinhard. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental-health crisis, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For additional resources, visit HelpStartsHere.gov.bc.ca. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency department.
