Man who died after Vancouver police shot him with beanbag gun was father of seven

A man who died in the Downtown Eastside after being shot by police with a beanbag gun has been identified by his family as a father of seven who was visiting from Winnipeg.

Chris Amyotte was in Vancouver to see two of his children and some extended family members, his cousin Samantha Wilson told Daily Hive.

But on the morning of August 22, five days after Amyotte arrived in the city, he died during an interaction with police.

“Chris was devoted to his family. He took care of his children and partner,” Wilson said. “That’s not the kind of thing you want to tell your family … that your loved one was hurt by police when he called them for help.”

Samantha Wilson/Submitted

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Amyotte was caught in a bear spray attack that morning that wasn’t meant for him, Wilson said. She believes he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“He was unarmed and screaming for help after being bear maced,” she tweeted.

Amyotte went onto the street and tried to rinse himself with water, and when that didn’t work he apparently took a jug of milk from a convenience store and doused himself with it.

“He was asking the public for help, like ‘call 911 I need help,'” Wilson said. “He was in a lot of obvious pain.”

When police arrived near Hastings Street and Dunlevy Avenue, Amyotte had removed his clothes to get rid of the burning sensation. Officers apparently told him to get on the ground, but Amyotte told them he couldn’t and he needed help.

That’s when officers allegedly fired the beanbag gun, hitting Amyotte in the chest and back.

BC’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, is looking into what happened — as it does with all police-involved deaths or serious injuries in the province. The Vancouver Police Department has said little about what happened, and wouldn’t answer Daily Hive’s questions about whether officers fired at the man.

The force only said Amyotte died after going into “medical distress.”

“My family has a lot of questions,” Wilson said. “I’m not saying that every officer employed with the Vancouver Police Department is a bad cop, but those that choose to make these decisions, that ultimately take people’s lives … need to be held accountable.”

Samantha Wilson/Submitted

Some members of Amyotte’s family are travelling to Vancouver this week to bring his body home. The father recently celebrated his 42nd birthday and is being remembered for his dedication to his family.

“He was a very outgoing person. You could always expect him to tease you or bug you about something. He was always full of jokes, loud, and he was all about his family.”

A memorial for Amyotte has formed near Hastings Street and Dunlevy Avenue, where he died.

@CBCIndigenous @CTVVancouver @CityNewsVAN @GlobalBC @my604home @BreenOuellette @JeanSwanson_

I have questions about the use of these “intermediate” weapons, at what distance are they tested and how many rounds are fired into a test object. pic.twitter.com/L5dSs6BT4E

— LoudThunderbirdWoman (@WilsonS29) August 24, 2022

Witness accounts differ from police version of events

Amyotte’s death has garnered significant media attention, and it’s another case of an Indigenous person dying during a meeting with police. Amyotte was a member of the Rolling River First Nation in Manitoba.

The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, which has an office near the location where Amyotte died, tweeted that Amyotte was “executed” by police.

“He was naked, bear-maced, and screaming for help,” the advocacy organization tweeted.

City councillor Jean Swanson tweeted that community services are needed to respond to incidents such as this instead of police. VPD deputy Chief Howard Chow replied to her, suggesting she refrain from commenting before “knowing all the facts.”

Always tragic for everyone when somone dies, including officers involved. Not sure commenting before knowing all the facts helps. Agreed, we should have another service attend, but until then who? Meanwhile, we’ll continue to attend calls 24/7 & deal with challenging situations. https://t.co/czOOFW2Pg7

— Howard Chow (@DeputyChow) August 23, 2022

VPD have maintained they responded to the scene after reports that a man was acting “erratically.”

“The man was taken into custody. He then went into medical distress and lost consciousness,” the force said.