VPD hands over body camera video after fatal police-involved shooting in East Vancouver

IIO investigators are seen at the site of a fatal police shooting in Vancouver on Tuesday, Aug. 19.

A man was shot and killed by Vancouver police Tuesday afternoon following a dispute between neighbours in East Vancouver, according to authorities.

Police said officers responded to a 911 call near Rupert Street and Vanness Avenue around 4 p.m.

When they arrived, they encountered a man with a weapon and shot him. Paramedics attempted to revive him, but he died at the scene, a statement from the Vancouver Police Department said.

The other person involved suffered non-life-threatening injuries. All officers were equipped with body cameras, which will aid the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. in its investigation.

Police said the man who was shot was Asian, in his late forties, had no criminal history, and very minimal interactions with VPD. The department noted that not all interactions in their system are criminal; someone may appear simply for reporting a crime or witnessing an incident. There were also no documented disputes between the two neighbours prior to Tuesday.

WITNESS REACTION:

Neighbours described a tense and chaotic scene. Lori Podd said her dog alerted her that something was wrong.

“My dog was really upset. She could hear the fighting,” said Podd.

Jeremy Pelletier, another neighbour, said he overheard the confrontation escalating.

“I heard a woman scream, and she yelled that she was going to call the cops,” Pelletier told CTV News. “And then I heard another dude yell back, ‘go ahead and call the cops’.”

Podd added that there had been ongoing tension between the neighbours.

“There’s a lot of bad blood between the neighbours and I guess he had enough,” she said.

Pelletier described hearing the police arrive and the situation seemed to escalate quickly.

“When the cops showed up, maybe like five minutes after they went into the building, and then, like, after maybe about 20 seconds, I heard, like, five or six gunshots go off,” he said.

Simon Druker, a spokesperson for the IIO, confirmed that officers encountered a man reportedly in possession of a weapon, which led to the shooting.

“He later died at the scene,” Druker said.

The IIO did not specify what kind of weapon the man was holding.

The IIO is now determining whether the officers involved may have committed an offence, as the office is mandated to do in officer-involved incident that result in serious harm or death.

Podd said the incident has left her shaken.

“Horrified, absolutely horrified, somebody’s dead,” said Podd. “Just because neighbours can’t get along, somebody’s dead now, and that’s really unfortunate,” she said.

The IIO is asking anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them at 1-855-446-8477 or through their website.