IIO forwards report to Crown in police-involved shooting death of Tony Du
Du shot following reports of a distraught man walking down a busy Vancouver street waving a two-by-four
The Independent Investigations Office has forwarded a report to Crown to consider whether charges should be laid in the Vancouver police-involved shooting death of Phuong Na (Tony) Du two years ago.
The IIO provides civilian oversight into police-related incidents involving death or serious harm.
The 51-year-old was killed, Nov. 22, 2014 after witnesses watched a distraught man strike a fence and wave a two-by-four as he walked along Knight Street near East 41st Avenue.
At the time, police told reporters Du refused to comply with officers' directions and bean-bag rounds were first used to attempt to disarm him before he was shot.
Du's was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries.
Du's death caused outrage in the Vietnamese community and sparked protests, questioning the police use of force.
On Friday, the IIO filed a report on the incident to Crown counsel.
This is required when the chief civilian director considers that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment," said Marten Youssef, the IIO's acting director, public engagement and policy in a news release.
The Crown must now determine whether an offence was committed that meets the threshold: a substantial likelihood of conviction and whether a prosecution is in the public interest.
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