Two Surrey Police Service (SPS) officers will not face criminal charges after a fatal shooting at a Surrey halfway house earlier this year, according to a report released by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) on Thursday, October 23.
The incident occurred when SPS officers responded to a report of a man — identified in the report as the “affected person” (AP) — who was breaching his release conditions. The man was a federal inmate on conditional release, described as a high-risk offender with a history of violence and self-harm.
An arrest warrant had been issued, and when officers arrived at the facility, staff informed them the man’s room was unlocked and they were authorized to enter. Four officers entered the room, two carrying conducted energy weapons (CEWs).
According to the IIO report, as the officers entered, the AP stood near his bed, pulled out a “large knife,” and reportedly shouted, “I’m not going back to jail.” Officers commanded him to drop the weapon, but when a CEW was deployed, it failed to stop him. The man then allegedly raised the knife and charged at the officers.
Both subject officers fired their guns. The AP was struck and collapsed before reaching them, still holding the knife. The cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds.
The IIO concluded that the officers were acting lawfully and their use of lethal force was justified. “The evidence establishes that the AP advanced quickly towards the officers in a confined space while wielding a weapon in a clearly threatening manner,” the report stated.
Chief Civilian Director Jessica Berglund wrote that there were no reasonable grounds to believe any offence had been committed by the officers, and the case would not be referred to Crown counsel for charges.
