Nearly one year to the day that police shot Alvin Wright inside his bedroom, his wife filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the RCMP officers involved in the case, alleging they had no reason to enter the home, let alone open fire on the young father.
Mr. Wright died in the early morning hours of Aug. 7, 2010, shortly after he was hit by a single bullet in the stomach at his Langley apartment. Mr. Wright, who was 22 years old at the time, had gone to sleep after an argument with his wife in which he asked her to leave.
Heather Hannon, Mr. Wright's partner, agreed to go, but soon tried to re-enter the home to get her keys and other supplies. When she couldn't get back in, she called police for help.
During a news conference to announce the lawsuit on Tuesday, Ms. Hannon's lawyer said that within five minutes of the RCMP's arrival, officers entered the home, burst through the bedroom door and shot the unarmed Mr. Wright.
Donald Sorochan, the lawyer, said the family has grown frustrated by the lack of answers it has received about the shooting.
"This isn't a matter of idle curiosity," he told reporters. "The family, like many families when there's a sudden death, want to know things like, 'Did my loved one die instantly? Did they say anything while they were dying? Was my loved one in pain?' "
Ms. Hannon's statement of claim was filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday. The allegations have not been proven. Six RCMP officers are listed as defendants, although the suit gives their names as John and Jane Doe because their identities have not been released to the family. The federal and provincial governments are also named.
Neither the RCMP nor the federal and provincial governments were willing to comment on the lawsuit on Tuesday. The shooting is being investigated by the Vancouver Police Department, which has not completed its report. Mr. Sorochan said he expects the report by the end of September, although the force declined to provide a time frame.
A Vancouver police spokeswoman said last August that Mr. Wright was shot after officers were confronted by a man inside the apartment.
The family members did not appear alongside Mr. Sorochan at the news conference and asked the media to respect their privacy. Mr. Wright's daughter, who was in a babysitter's care at the time of the shooting, is now 20 months old.
Mindy Janzen, a former teacher of Mr. Wright, remembered him as a kind-hearted, respectful person with a great sense of humour. Ms. Janzen, who read a eulogy at Mr. Wright's funeral, expressed frustration at not knowing what happened the final night of his life.
"It doesn't make any sense to me. I would like to think that shooting is the last resort, and I don't understand what happened. I don't understand why he was shot."
Ms. Hannon is seeking Mr. Wright's potential future income under the Family Compensation Act, as well as aggravated and punitive damages. Mr. Wright had completed a safety program to become a longshoreman.
The lawsuit says that once RCMP officers arrived at the scene, Ms. Hannon never expressed concern for her safety. In fact, it says she told the officers she had not been assaulted or threatened.
Mr. Sorochan said there was no breach of the peace, and Mr. Wright did not have a criminal record. He said Ms. Hannon had got back inside before police arrived, and therefore officers had no legal justification to enter the home, or to draw their firearms.
To make matters worse, the lawsuit reads, Ms. Hannon was unlawfully detained for several hours after the shooting. Her requests for a lawyer were turned down, and after she sent a text message to her father, her mobile phone was confiscated, the suit says.