IIO calls Chris Amyotte’s family’s statement ‘erroneous’

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) says a statement made by the family of Indigenous man Chris Amyotte, who died after being shot with a beanbag gun, was “erroneous.”

Amyotte died Aug. 22 after he went into “medical distress and lost consciousness,” according to police.

Witnesses say Amyotte had been bear sprayed and ran to Laxmi Convenience Store on East Hastings Street near Gore Avenue to get a carton of milk — often used to flush out pepper spray.

When VPD officers arrived, Amyotte ended up being shot with a beanbag gun.

The family spoke last week, calling for action from the police.

Amyotte’s cousin, Samantha Wilson, called for the VPD to undergo “transformative police changes.”

“I believe that given the location of this incident in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, that my cousin Chris was seen as just another vulnerable person, and a vulnerable part of the city and that no one would care about him if something bad happened to him,” Wilson said Thursday.

IIO contested some of the comments made by the family.

“At a September 1 press conference, a spokesperson for the family of Christopher Amyotte said that the family had not yet been contacted by the IIO,” said an IIO statement.

“In fact, the IIO’s Primary Investigator and Affected Persons Liaison assigned to the case have reached out to and spoken directly with multiple members of Mr. Amyotte’s family – initiating contact immediately on the day of his death, and continuing contact on several subsequent occasions.”

Ron MacDonald, chief civilian director with IIO, says keeping in contact with affected persons is common practice.

“Ongoing communication with the family is a standard and integral part of the IIO’s role,” says MacDonald, “We have two affected persons liaisons on staff who provide support to those affected by the incidents we’re investigating. This support starts as soon as we become involved in a case and continues throughout the process.”

Related links:

• Family of Indigenous man killed after VPD shooting demands inquest

• UBCIC demands immediate VPD reform in wake of in-custody death

Wilson says her family is seeking answers.

“Unfortunately, for the Vancouver Police Department, Christopher has a family that loves him very much and we are exploring every possible avenue to seek answers for him and his children,” she said.

In a statement last week, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) called for an “immediate, transparent, and transformative response, including a public inquiry into Chris Amyotte’s death and systemic change to the VPD, especially in their approach to Indigenous peoples and residents of the Downtown Eastside (DTES).”

“There is a chronic lack of accountability and ongoing violence and murder of Indigenous peoples by VPD and police forces throughout B.C. – the Independent Investigations Office has so far not been effective at addressing this reality,” the organization wrote.

UBCIC secretary-treasurer Kukpi7 Judy Wilson told CityNews that instead of receiving the help he needed, Amyotte was shot.

“That is very traumatic, to the people there, to himself, and to his family, and his loved ones,” Judy Wilson said.

“This is another atrocity, another form of genocide happening to our people in the Downtown Eastside. And unfortunately, it’s [happening] every other day. And this has to stop.”