British Columbia authorities will not release any information about the man who was killed in a hail of police bullets earlier this week after stabbing two women in a busy downtown convenience store.
The province’s Independent Investigations Office – which assumes control of investigations when a person has been killed or injured by police – says its policy is to not release the name of a subject in order to protect their family’s privacy.
The Vancouver Police Department has deferred all calls about the high-profile incident to the police watchdog.
The BC Coroners Service told The Globe and Mail that it is investigating the death and, as such, is unable to provide any details about the dead man. An unattributed statement from Public Safety Minister Garry Begg’s office said the minister was unable to comment while the IIO and VPD are conducting their investigations.
The lack of information means the public will not know whether the man was among those who have fallen through the cracks of the justice and mental-health systems at a time when public disorder is a top issue for voters, not only in B.C. but in other parts of Canada.
“When we have events that traumatize the community – which this clearly has – it’s important for the public to gain an understanding of the circumstances, to chart a way forward,” said Elenore Sturko, the Conservative critic for public safety and a former Mountie. She noted that one woman was stabbed in the face.
“It is in the best interest of the public here to understand what transpired.”
Too often, government uses the Privacy Act as a shield to “hide behind to buy itself time – particularly in this case, where David Eby and the NDP have a lot to answer for when it comes to their failures to address public safety,” Ms. Sturko added.
The incident at the downtown 7-Eleven began at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday at Original Joe’s, a pub across the street. There, the accused, described as homeless, agitated and angry, stole a long filet knife used to chop limes, a paring knife and five bottles of liquor, according to bartender Kylie Noel.
After chugging Jim Beam, the bearded man, dressed in a black hoodie, a winter coat and a grey tuque, waved the knife at Ms. Noel and a chef. “You want to die today?” he yelled before exiting for the 7-Eleven.
Ms. Noel, who was on the line with police, alerted investigators that the man was heading for the convenience store armed with two knives. Police arrived three minutes later, she said.
Witnesses said the man had by then cornered a clerk behind the cash register. After ignoring police shouts to “move away,” he was hit with a taser, then shot. He was declared dead in hospital.
Police later said two people were stabbed; both are expected to fully recover.
High-profile incidents over the last year have repeatedly raised questions about how to manage attackers with a history of mental-health challenges and interactions with police.
Earlier this fall, in an attack just blocks from the 7-Eleven, one man was left dead and another with a severed hand. Police later found the alleged attacker, 34-year-old Brendan Colin McBride, charging him with one count of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault. Police Chief Adam Palmer described Mr. McBride as “a very troubled man” with 60 documented contacts with Lower Mainland police agencies.
A year earlier, in September, 2023, Premier David Eby said he was “white hot angry” over the release of a man with a history of violence from a psychiatric institution who later went on to stab and injure three people at a celebration in Chinatown.
It is not known whether the man involved in Wednesday’s incident faced similar prior problems. While the history of the accused in the two earlier cases is known, the IIO says the history of the man in the convenience store cannot be released because he is dead.
IIO policy states that its director will not release a person’s name “unless there is a strong public interest.” In this case, “those reasons do not exist and therefore the name of the individual has been withheld,” said spokesperson Simon Druker.