Vancouver's police chief has apologized for the 2007 shooting that left Paul Boyd dead in the wake of "troubling" new video of the man's encounter with officers.
Chief Jim Chu told reporters Thursday that the video, which shows Boyd had dropped to his hands and knees moments before he was shot in the head, justifies another review.
"I was very disturbed by the video. It was very troubling to see that," he said.
"We believe it's important enough to prompt another look at the original investigations and their findings."
The Alberta Serious Incident Response team has been called in to examine the footage and the BC Coroners Service will also review its investigation and inquest into the death.
The Vancouver Police Department has also set up a new webpage detailing what happened on the night Boyd was killed as well as the four reviews of the death to date. Chu said the site was created, "because we believe the public has a right to have access to the most accurate, thorough and up-to-date information on this matter as possible."
Thirty-nine-year-old Boyd, who suffered from bipolar disorder and was off his medication, was shot eight times in a span of 80 seconds on Aug. 13, 2007 by Const. Lee Chipperfield in the middle of Granville Street. Boyd had struck an officer with a bicycle chain and struggled with officers raised before Chipperfield pulled his gun.
The new video of the incident, released Monday by the eyewitness who filmed it, appears to begin with the seventh bullet being fired into Boyd's body. The injured man seems to drop his weapon and begins making guttural sounds before crawling on all fours toward a group of constables.
A stopped vehicle obscures the view as another shot is fired, approximately 23 seconds after the last. That bullet is believed to be the one that pierced Boyd's face and ended his life.
The shooting happened in the first week of Chu's tenure as chief and he says he spoke with Boyd's family soon afterward.
"I promised the family that we would work hard to bring together all available resources in the justice system to find out exactly what happened to their son and why," he said.
"I sympathized with the Boyd family then for their loss and have always felt that way since. I am very sorry that events unfolded the way they did that day."
In all, more than a 100 witnesses were interviewed about the case, according to the chief. Their stories differed significantly in a few crucial details; some people recalled Boyd standing and threatening police as he was killed, while others remembered him being unarmed and on all fours.
Previous reviews cleared officer of wrongdoing in death
Crown prosecutors decided in 2009 not to lay charges against Chipperfield, and just this year, Police Complaints Commissioner Stan Lowe ruled that the constable had not used excessive force.
Lowe acknowledged the discrepancies among witness accounts but said at the time there was "no clear, convincing and cogent evidence" that warranted action against the officer.
Chu said Chipperfield has not been returned to frontline duties since the shooting, but is still allowed to carry a gun.
"While he could be armed, his primary duty is to arrive at calls after the fact and conduct the investigations from a forensic perspective," he said.
David Eby of the BC Civil Liberties Association, who has criticized the investigations into the shooting, told CTV News that Chipperfield should be taken off active duty while the latest review is underway.
"It would be wise for the VPD to put this officer on paid leave," he said.
But he added that he was pleased with Chu's response to the new video of the event.
"It was good to see the chief of police out there taking some accountability," he said.
