Man Dies After Police Shooting at Busy North Vancouver Shopping Plaza
Shraddha Tripathy
7/22/20263 min read
A man has died after a police shooting at a busy North Vancouver shopping plaza Tuesday afternoon, following what witnesses described as a chaotic and fast-moving confrontation involving an edged weapon, multiple vehicles and an RCMP cruiser.
North Vancouver RCMP say officers were called to Westview Plaza at around 1:12 p.m. after receiving reports that a man armed with an “edged weapon” was threatening people inside a business.
According to police, the man left the business, got into a vehicle in the parking lot and collided with multiple parked cars. He then exited that vehicle near the gas station at the plaza and entered the driver’s seat of an unoccupied police vehicle.
RCMP say officers deployed a conducted energy weapon during the confrontation and that shots were fired by police.
The man was taken to hospital, where he later died. Police say no officers were injured.
Witnesses Describe Sirens, Shouting and Gunfire
People who live and work near Westview Plaza described a frightening scene as police vehicles rushed into the area.
Jackie Patton, who lives nearby, told Peazzi she was having lunch when she heard multiple police sirens heading toward the plaza. About a minute later, she said, she heard three shots.
Video posted to social media and verified by Peazzi shows several officers aiming what appear to be firearms or conducted energy weapons into a police cruiser. Almost immediately afterward, three sounds resembling gunshots can be heard.
The video does not show what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting, nor does it clearly show the actions of the person inside the police vehicle immediately before the shots were fired.
Another witness video obtained by Peazzi shows a man approaching and opening the door of an RCMP vehicle as officers appear to deploy a conducted energy weapon. The man then climbs into the driver’s seat as an officer moves in and prevents the door from closing.
The officer then draws a hand-held weapon and appears to fire three shots into the vehicle. Police can be heard shouting commands at the man to drop a knife before what appears to be another conducted energy weapon is fired. Officers then remove the man from the vehicle and handcuff him.
Business Owner Describes Chaotic Parking Lot
Bahman Afshari, who owns a pizza shop in the plaza, said he heard noise outside and went into the parking lot, where he saw a man sitting in a pickup truck holding what appeared to be a box cutter or carpet knife.
Afshari said the man then ran toward the gas station and tried to get into multiple vehicles.
“If it’s open, he gets inside,” Afshari said.
He said police arrived within minutes and attempted to use a conducted energy weapon, but the first attempt appeared to miss. The man then climbed into the police vehicle, Afshari said, leading to the confrontation captured on video.
Police Watchdog Investigating
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has confirmed it has been deployed to the scene.
The IIO investigates incidents involving police in British Columbia that result in serious harm or death, regardless of whether there are allegations of wrongdoing. Its investigation will examine the actions of police and the circumstances that led to the man’s death.
The area around Westview Plaza remained closed as investigators continued gathering evidence, reviewing video and speaking with witnesses.
Questions Remain About Fatal Encounter
Police have not yet released the identity of the man who died, nor have they provided further details about what happened inside the business before officers were called.
The videos circulating publicly show only portions of the encounter, and investigators will likely focus on the full sequence of events — from the initial call about a weapon, to the vehicle collisions, to the moment the man entered the police cruiser and officers opened fire.
For now, the fatal shooting has left a busy North Vancouver plaza behind police tape and a community waiting for answers about how a confrontation in a parking lot escalated into a deadly police shooting.
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