A Vancouver police officer who shot and killed a man armed with a knife inside a downtown convenience store has been cleared of wrongdoing by the province’s police watchdog, which confirmed Wednesday that a store employee was seriously injured by a police bullet during the chaotic scene. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has concluded its probe into the Vancouver Police Department’s conduct in the matter, finding the officer who shot the man was not only justified but was “bound by his duty” to use all necessary force against the knife-wielding suspect. The incident unfolded on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, when officers were called to a 7-Eleven store on Robson Street for a complaint about a man repeatedly coming into the store to ask for free cigarettes, according to a narrative of the events published by the police oversight agency. Two officers responded and the man left the store without incident. But approximately 30 minutes later, the same man entered a nearby restaurant and stole bottles of liquor, an iPad and a pair of knives, the agency said. After the man left the restaurant, staff locked the doors and called 911, prompting a significant police response to the busy downtown area. Officer fired 10 shots The suspect then returned to the 7-Eleven and “trapped two employees behind the counter,” threatening them with the knives, according to the IIO report. The employees tried to offer the man cigarettes and money, but he ignored them and “started to make stabbing motions” in their direction, the police watchdog said. Officers responding to the 911 call were directed to the convenience store by witnesses in the area. One officer entered the store with his pistol drawn on the suspect, followed by the two officers who had encountered the man earlier that day. The officers demanded the man drop the knife and move away from the employees, however he did not comply. One of the officers fired a Taser, which failed to incapacitate the suspect, who “steps towards the officers, saying something through gritted teeth, a knife and a bottle visible in his hands,” the IIO said. The officer holding the pistol fired a burst of four bullets at the suspect – who “is now making stabbing motions” – before shooting five more times. The man fell to his knees behind the counter. The officer then leaned over and fired a final shot, the IIO said. The suspect died of cardiac arrest caused by multiple gunshot wounds. He was declared dead in hospital shortly after noon. Bystander struck by bullet fragment One of the employees standing next to the suspect was struck in the face by a police bullet fragment, “causing traumatic injuries around her left eye that subsequently required surgery,” the police watchdog wrote. The other employee was treated for knife wounds to her head, back and thumb. The Vancouver Police Department initially said on social media that “a number of people” were stabbed in the incident that was called in around 11:30 a.m., but Const. Tania Visintin later told reporters that one person was stabbed in the hand while another person suffered facial injuries. The IIO investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing by police. The agency assembled its narrative of the events from various police records and radio transmissions, as well as medical reports and statements from 17 civilian witnesses, including the two injured 7-Eleven employees. The watchdog does not require officers who are the subject of investigations to provide evidence. The officer in this case did not provide any account of the events to the investigator. Suspect ‘clearly’ a threat The IIO report determined that the suspect “clearly presented a threat of death or grievous bodily harm” to the store employees. Therefore, the officer who opened fire after the Taser failed to incapacitate the suspect had reason to believe there was “no viable option but to use lethal force.” “This was so despite the risk to (the store employees) because of their proximity to (the suspect) when the (officer) fired his first shots,” the IIO’s chief civilian director Jessica Berglund concluded, calling the injury to the employee “unfortunate.” The officer firing his weapon until the suspect was “fully immobilized” was also justified due to his proximity to the employees behind the counter. “Once that was achieved and the threat to the civilians was negated, the (officer) stopped firing,” Berglund concluded, finding no reason to believe the officer committed an offence through either his actions or inactions. Officers ‘did everything right’ A Vancouver police spokesperson addressed the findings of the report during an unrelated news conference Wednesday, telling reporters that the incident last December had a “significant impact” on the officers, who “did everything right.” “Police officers to do a really hard job. It’s a job that nobody else really wants to do,” Sgt. Steve Addison said. “Our hearts go out to anybody who’s injured as a result of a police interaction. Our hearts go out to the two people who were injured – the two innocent people who were working in that store that day, who were injured – and also to the family of the person who was shot and killed.”
