Police had responded to a call after someone reported the woman breaking things and locking herself and the baby in the bathroom at a home in Surrey.(Photo- The Canadian Press)
British Columbia's independent police watchdog says an officer was justified in using lethal force in the fatal shooting of a woman threatening her baby.The Independent Investigations Office says in a report released Friday that on Sept. 19, 2024, the Surrey, B.C., officer shot the woman who was holding scissors to her baby's neck.
The report says the situation was made worse because the woman spoke little to no English, and there were no Spanish speaking services available other than the use of Google translate.
Police had responded to a call after someone reported the woman breaking things and locking herself and the baby in the bathroom at a home in Surrey.
The report says police attempted to talk to the woman but she started to "drive the scissors towards the baby's neck," and one officer fired two shots.
It says officers believed that the woman was going to harm the baby and the decision to shoot was reasonable to protect the child.
The report says police had prepared a less lethal option to use, but the plan called for the use of lethal force "if she starts stabbing the baby."
"In this case, all the officers interviewed by the IIO who could see (the woman) in the bathtub said that (she) had a pair of open scissors which were moving rapidly toward the baby's neck," the report says.
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