The family of the man shot by Vancouver police during an apparent stabbing spree in the Downtown Eastside last week says he was acting in self-defense.
Mahaad Hersi (some members of the family spell their surname with an “e”) said his cousin Abdi Gani Mahamud Hirsi -- the 26-year-old Edmonton resident shot by officers on April 9 -- had already been stabbed by the time videos of the incident began recording.
The images in surveillance and passer-by videos don’t tell the whole story, he said.
"He was already injured; he was in shock," Hersi told reporters at an emotional press conference Tuesday night. "He wasn't in a perfect state of mind at that moment."
Mahaad Hersi and other family members were in Vancouver for Hirsi’s funeral. They said their fallen relative was a university graduate and a good person.
"My brother was not a homeless man who came to the city," sister Faisa Hirsi said. "My brother had hopes and dreams and he was an individual."
Family members were not sure why Hirsi was in Vancouver. Some said he was on vacation, visiting friends, or looking for work.
The family claims they have not spoken with anyone from the Vancouver Police Department since the incident.
They are awaiting the results of an Independent Investigations Office report on the shooting, but say they have already spoken to a lawyer about what options might be available to them.
Hirsi had allegedly been wielding a knife and stabbing people outside the First United Church at the intersection of Hastings and Gore streets, according to witnesses. Police said attempts to subdue him were unsuccessful.
Officers tried to take Hirsi into custody and fired rounds from a beanbag shotgun at him, Vancouver police Sgt. Randy Fincham said at the time of the incident. It was only after he allegedly became violent -- stabbing another victim -- that they opened fire.
Three people were taken to hospital with wounds from Hirsi’s alleged stabbing spree.
