Families of police shooting victims call for change outside VPD HQ
Posted February 11, 2017 3:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Two shattered families stood side-by-side in protest outside Vancouver Police Headquarters, two days after the Ministry of Justice decided not to approve charges for the officers involved in a fatal shooting.
51-year-old Tony Du, who suffered from schizophrenia, was shot near East 41st Avenue and Knight Street in November 2014, and later died in hospital. Witnesses say he was shouting while wielding a piece of two-by-four before police arrived.
Based on the findings of the Independent Investigation Office (IIO), the Crown determined that the officer who fired at Du was acting reasonably, because the officer believed his or her partner was in danger.
Du’s sister Lien Chan was teary-eyed as she took part in today’s protest. She was flanked by Margie Gray, whose son Myles was also killed by Vancouver police after a disturbance call in August 2015.
“It’s terrible to have to meet this family in this circumstance, but we’re here to support the Du family, because this should never have happened to Tony and this should have never happened to our son Myles,” Gray says.
“I should happen to nobody,” adds Chan.
Gray is calling for changes in the way that VPD engages with distressed civilians, as well as justice for her son, and Lien Chan’s brother.
Following Thursday’s decision, the Pivot Legal Society announced they would pursue a challenge, citing its implications for use-of-force protocols, and problems with the IIO’s investigation.
