Police fatally shoot 18-year-old at East Vancouver park after responding to 911 call
Vancouver police say 18-year-old man had firearm in Clinton Park at Grant Street and Penticton Street
An 18-year-old man was shot and killed by police at Clinton Park in East Vancouver on Saturday morning.
The Vancouver Police Department said in a statement that they were called to the park — at the intersection of Grant Street and Penticton Street in the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood — at around 2:15 a.m. Saturday.
Const. Tania Visintin said a 911 caller had reported gunshots being fired near the playground.
When police arrived, according to Visintin, they found the man carrying a firearm.
"Shots were fired, and the suspect was shot by police," Visintin said in a statement. "The suspect was taken to hospital, but subsequently died."
The VPD says no police officers were injured in the firing, and there were no bystanders reported injured following the initial 911 call.
In a news conference Saturday, Visintin did not directly answer when asked what kind of firearm the 18-year-old had on him.
"The IIO will be looking into that — who shot, how many times, what they shot, what type of firearm, if it was real, if it was fake," she said. "That's all going to form part of the investigation."
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) — the agency that looks into all B.C. police incidents that result in serious harm or death — is now looking into the shooting.
"The IIO is investigating to confirm the details of the incident and to determine what role police played in the man's death," reads a statement from the office.
Visintin said investigators do not believe the shooting had anything to do with the Lower Mainland gang conflict.
Anyone with more information on the case is asked to call 1-855-446-8477 or use the contact form at iiobc.ca.
With files from Joel Law