An off-duty bus driver who spent three or four minutes with a man holding a two-by-four moments before he was shot and killed by Vancouver police says he didn’t feel threatened.

As someone who deals with the public on a daily basis, Joe Tobias said it wasn’t the first time he’d seem someone who “might have been troubled” and tried to offer help.

He said he saw his own father in 51-year-old Tony Du, who appeared to be salvaging the piece of wood, and was distressed or stressed.

“Something was up with this guy…I never felt threatened one bit, standing next to him, and neither should have anyone else,” Tobias told a B.C. coroners inquest Tuesday.

Du, 51, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and struggled with a gambling addiction.

He was shot and killed by police in November 2014 at the corner of 41st and Knight streets in East Vancouver. The coroners court is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.

Tobias was leaving a nearby pub and was on his way to meet his girlfriend. He spent a few minutes on the corner with Du, who was speaking profanities, and wearing a large winter coat covering garbage bags full of pillows or feathers.

“I might have well as been at work,” Tobias said, referring to his career with the Coast Mountain Bus Company. “I try to relate to people with issues. I could see this guy was wanting some help. I was just being there and comforting him.”

Unbeknownst to Tobias, another bystander had seen Du as well and had called the police, concerned that Du was a waving around the piece of wood and acting dangerously.

Tobias left Du and walked across 41st Street, and a police car pulled up on Knight. The bus driver thought of recording what was going on with his phone, but decided not to so he wouldn’t aggravate Du.

He captured the aftermath of the incident, but told the court he regretted not starting the recording earlier and gathering evidence.

“This could have been a whole lot easier if I’d recorded the shooting. I respected that. I’m sorry,” he said.

He said the police officers did give some kind of instruction to Du, such as “drop it.” He believed that Du was shot first with a beanbag gun, and then moved quickly towards the officers. He believed that Du was shot with a rifle about 6 times, and “it was all over pretty quick.”

Tobias said he was concerned that the officers handcuffed the man after he was on the ground.

“I just could not get over the fact that there was an individual shot many times and someone felt he should be handcuffed. I didn’t feel that was appropriate,” he said.

He told the coroners court he was surprised that someone would feel threatened by Du.

“I didn’t see the two-by-four as a weapon. That’s why the dialogue like the one I had with him would have been more appropriate than fire first and ask questions later. You can’t talk to Mr. Du right now. He’s gone,” he said.