Man screaming in pain dies following 'interaction' with Vancouver police

Warning: Graphic content.

A man who witnesses say had been bear sprayed and was flailing in agony was shot with a beanbag gun by police Monday morning on Vancouver’s Hastings Street.

Nicholas Green told CTV News he saw the man run out of a building in pain.

“He was running up the street taking off his clothes, because that’s what you do when you’ve been bear sprayed,” said Green.

He described how the man ran into a store, grabbed a jug of milk and poured it on his body to relieve the pain from the spray as Vancouver police arrived on scene.

“He couldn’t see because he had been bear sprayed,” said Green. “Police were giving him orders to lie down. When you’re bear sprayed, you can’t lie down, you can’t stop moving.”

Green said bystanders were yelling at police that he has been bear sprayed, and that he needed help.

“They shot him,” said Green.

Vancouver police confirmed a man died following an “interaction” with its officers.

“A man was seen acting erratically near East Hastings Street and Dunlevy Avenue,” the department wrote in a statement. “Following an interaction with police, the man was taken into custody. He then went into medical distress and lost consciousness.”

Another witness said she heard police warn they were “going to open fire.”

“And then they just did it suddenly, six times,” said Jodie Daniels.

The Independent Investigations Office confirmed it was called to the scene.