Two officers cleared in fatal shooting of Vancouver man who was wielding knife

SURREY — British Columbia’s civilian police watchdog agency has cleared two Vancouver officers of wrongdoing in the shooting death of a man last August.

The Independent Investigations Office says in a report that the two officers were justified in shooting a man who had “moved rapidly” toward one of them with a knife at an East Vancouver apartment on Aug. 19.

The report says police had responded to the scene after a neighbour reported an assault in progress, and said she had been struck in the face by the man.

It says officers found themselves in a confrontation with the man, who ignored orders to comply while being captured on video rushing toward one of the officers while “holding a large knife, blade forward.”

The man was shot multiple times by the two officers and died at the scene.

IIO Chief Civilian Director Jessica Berglund says the officers were in lawful execution of their duties when they went to the apartment, and the man’s use of a deadly weapon in close quarters justified police’s use of lethal force.

“They were … given virtually no opportunity to take any action other than the rapid deployment of lethal force,” the report says, noting it was justified to defend the officer being attacked from “imminent death or grievous bodily harm.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2026.

The Canadian Press