Mother shot by B.C. police was 'youth leader' in Colombian trade union

The mother who died after an RCMP shooting in Surrey, B.C., last week was an activist and prominent union member who fled Colombia due to death threats, according to her former colleagues.

A statement from SNTT, which represents workers in Colombia's transportation and logistics industry, said Vanessa Renteria was a "youth leader" with the union before she arrived in Canada as a refugee.

She and her husband brought their daughter north "in search of a better present and future" for their family, according to a translation of the Spanish-language statement.

The union said members "condemn" the actions of police, and "demand from the government of Canada an impartial and fair investigation" into what happened.

Few details have been shared by authorities since the incident, which happened early Thursday morning at a home in Surrey's Cloverdale neighbourhood.

In a statement, the B.C. RCMP said officers received of a report of a disturbance at the property around 4:40 a.m., and that they were told a woman had barricaded herself in a room where she was "reportedly holding a weapon" near a toddler.

A single officer opened fire approximately 50 minutes later. Renteria died at the scene, despite the efforts of paramedics.

The incident is now under investigation by B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office.

The RCMP has not confirmed whether the toddler was still in the room when the shooting happened, or whether officers recovered a weapon from the scene. The force also declined to comment on questions from local advocates about whether de-escalation tactics were employed by the officers, and whether there was an interpreter present to help communicate with Renteria.

Staff Sgt. Kris Clark told CTV News the RCMP could not provide any further details while the incident remains under IIO investigation.

Angela Marie MacDougall with Battered Women's Support Services said Renteria had only been in Canada a short time prior to her confrontation with police, but that she had made friends in her community, where she attended a local church.

"People loved her. They said she was calm, nice, a wonderful mother," MacDougall told CTV News last week.