The B.C. Coroners Service will initiate an inquiry next year into the deadly police shooting of a 15-year-old teenager in Surrey back in February. The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General in British Columbia unveiled the inquest shortly after the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of the province exonerated RCMP members involved in the incident.
As per the IIO report released on December 4, the police were alerted by the teenager, identified as Chase de Balinhard, who claimed to possess a firearm and was contemplating self-harm. De Balinhard, who had autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, expressed distrust towards law enforcement.
Responding officers, in collaboration with Car 67, a police mental health outreach unit featuring a mental health nurse, engaged with the teenager. However, when de Balinhard pointed what appeared to be a gun, two officers discharged their weapons. Subsequently, it was revealed that the object was a replica. Tragically, the 10th-grade student succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The IIO report clarified that the officers acted lawfully in their attempt to detain de Balinhard, as they reasonably believed he posed a threat to himself and others with a loaded firearm. The upcoming coroner’s inquest aims to uncover details surrounding the incident, offer recommendations to prevent similar tragedies, and uphold public trust in the process.
Such inquests are mandated by the Coroners Act whenever a person dies while under law enforcement custody but do not assign blame. The inquiry will involve a presiding coroner and a jury hearing testimonies from witnesses under oath, although the exact date for the inquest has not been specified.