Warning: This story contains details that may be upsetting to readers
The 15-year-old boy who was killed during a confrontation with RCMP officers in B.C.’s Lower Mainland over the weekend did not own a real gun and was not suicidal, according to a spokesperson for his grieving family.
Those who knew the teenager have identified him by the first name Chase, and told CTV News he was on the autism spectrum.
The family’s spokesperson said Chase left their Surrey home Sunday afternoon to walk around the neighbourhood, as he often did, sometimes to leave goodie bags for younger children who live nearby.
“Chase was a kind-hearted, fun-loving kid,” the spokesperson told CTV News.
Less than half an hour after the teenager left home, RCMP officers responded to a troubling call at nearby Clayton Heights Secondary School – which ended with Chase being shot, and a provincial police watchdog being called to investigate.
‘Extensive interaction’ with police
In a statement, the B.C. RCMP said the call, which came in around 2:40 p.m., regarded an individual “in distress and reportedly armed with a firearm” on the schoolyard.
“After an extensive interaction, shots were fired,” the RCMP said. “(Paramedics) were immediately called in to attend and provide medical care, however the individual has died. No one else was injured.”
Authorities did not confirm whether officers recovered a gun from the scene after the boy died.
“As the matter is now under investigation by (B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office), no further information will be released by police,” the RCMP wrote.
The spokesperson for Chase’s family said the teenager had a pellet gun, but not a proper firearm. Because he was on the spectrum, Chase likely did not understand how serious the situation was when officers arrived, the spokesperson said.
The incident has left the neighbourhood shaken. The Surrey School District confirmed a Clayton Heights student “sadly passed away” over the weekend, and said counsellors will be on site to support the school community.
Shooting captured on video
In security video obtained by CTV News, Chase can be seen walking across a snow-covered lawn holding something to his head.
Four officers with guns drawn follow him at a distance, taking cover around a parked police vehicle on the road, where one officer repeatedly asks him to “put the gun down.”
“You don’t want to do this,” he tells the teenager at one point.
The boy can be seen raising his arm toward police while backing away until he’s obscured from view behind a tree, at which point two shots can be heard in quick succession.
The IIO, which is tasked with investigating all police-involved incidents that result in death or serious harm, confirmed it was notified shortly after the shooting.
“Initial investigative steps will seek to determine if police actions were necessary, reasonable, and proportionate in the circumstances,” the watchdog said, in a news release.
The IIO told CTV News it could not provide any further details Monday.
Chase’s family learned about what happened after seeing posts about the police incident on Facebook, then using his phone’s location to find the shooting scene, which was already cordoned off with caution tape.
As of Monday afternoon, the family had not been allowed to see his body, according to the spokesperson.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Regan Hasegawa and Ben Nesbit
