Stabbing spree, police shooting in Downtown Eastside caught on camera - Action News
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British Columbia

Stabbing spree, police shooting in Downtown Eastside caught on camera

Several videos have been posted online showing the tense situation on Thursday between police and a man who went on stabbing spree from different angles.

Vigil held Friday night for man killed by police, more resources urged for the mentally ill

Tense DTES stand-off caught on videos

10 years ago
Duration 2:17
Vigil held for man killed by Vancouver police

B.C.'spolice watchdog is going through videosas part of their investigation into the Vancouverpolice shooting of a man who went on a stabbing rampage in the Downtown Eastside which left one dead and a stabbing victim critically injured.

A small gathering of people mostly from Vancouver's African community say the death might have been prevented. They held a vigil for the man,lighting candles and speakingpassionately about the man.

"Justice has not been served," said Jean DeDieuHakizimana, who organized the vigil. " So we are here to remember the soul of our brother."

RAW VIDEO: Jean de Dieu Hakizimana speaks at vigil for Somali-born man slain by police

The IIOislooking into the shooting deathand has collectedsecurity videothat captured images of the man killed fighting with and ultimately stabbing two of his victims.Several videos have been posted online showingthe tense situationbetweenpolice and the man with the knifefrom different angles.

Police say they shot and killed a man in the middle of a stabbing rampageafter he refused to drop his knife and began stabbing a woman right in front of them.

According to police, officers first tried to subdue the man by firing bean-bag rounds at him, but then said they shot him after he randomly began stabbing a woman.

She remainsin critical condition, while the two other victims were treated for non life-threatening injuries.

Organizers of Friday's vigilsaid they don't condone the knife violence, but say they need to raise theirconcernsthat police used too much force in the killing.

"All the people are angry with the Vancouver police for their action to shoot that guy sixtimes," he said at the vigil. "They're not supposed to kill someone like that."

'I wish they could have shot him in the leg'

"I wish they could have shot himin the leg or the hand," said Amran Toyo, who is active in the Somali community in Metro Vancouver.

The man shot by police has not yet be identified. Those at the vigilseemed to know little about the man's background,other than thathe is of Somali decent, a recent arrival in Vancouver and he hadneeded help.

"What I see as an African community or Somali community in these matters is they need more helpfor mental illness counseling, those kind of things in order to prevent this kind of problem," said Toyo.

Hakizimana echoed the call for more supports for vulnerable people in the DTES.

"We need the service providers who understand them, who understand where they come from. Their language, their culture."

with files from the Stephanie Mercier