Could my spouse, one of my good citizen sons or daughter, one of six grandchildren or I, or you, be shot dead by Vancouver Police Constable Lee Chipperfield, or any one of many VPD perverters of justice, because all believe, for good reason, bad reason or no reason, that we’ve threatened them by crawling unarmed on the ground, near death, already shot at 8 times at close range and mortally wounded by those bullets?
Well, if we are, our families will still be wondering, five years later, if a new (?) inquiry will examine the right or wrong of the homicide. Maybe though, people should not worry since the chief of any execution squad will do the right thing and he’ll support any number of new and old inquiries conducted by his professional associates.
And that new inquiry, or re-inquiry, might take five years more but will result in the same excuses and absolutions.
Reasonable?
Not in my world. Jailing the perpetrator and the enablers would be reasonable. In my world.
However, the world does not operate this way.
Categories: Vancouver PD
IN-SIGHTS 
I know Norm discusting to say the least. I watched the video on the evening news and hadn't been so angered since the Robert Dziekanski murder.
I can't even fathom a defence for this unless they plead cowardice overtook them, even if that was the case they should be charged with murder.
I can't imagine being the father and watching that.
If we have gotten to the point in our society where this is acceptable then we should just let Fukishima run it's course.
We either do something here or we don't, if we don't then we accept the future that will follow!
Don
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The “new video” is truly pathetic but everyone who knew the details from witnesses, even VPD witnesses, knew this was a sorry, sad example of unnecessary execution. The worst crime of all though is the coverup and that involves many more people than Chipperfield, the homicide artist.
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I am not an unreasonable man, nor am I known to be a conspiracy theorist…but…I just finished watching the news about Bill C78 in Quebec. Groups of more than 50 people need to report to police before expressing their opinions? Really? Immediately after that I watched the video of Mr. Boyd on hands and knees. An hour later and I am still disturbed. Then Michael Campbell is given a prime time spotlight to say if we don't scramble to give our resources away the burgeoning senior population (of which we will soon be a part) will suffer interminable hardship by way of lack of funding. How did we get here? Can this be how history repeats itself? Are these type of events normal everyday people talked about at backyard gatherings in the early part of the last century…only to find through apathy those in power became more powerful and corrupt before their very eyes? Were they coddled by the media of the day into thinking “move on, nothing to see here”? How fast does it happen?
I go back to my analogy of sitting in a streetside cafe in Bogota with my buddy…having an espresso…reading the Elespectador newspaper…saying to him I don't know where this “British” Columbia is but what a crazy place..look at these headlines….state police raid the legislature, groups of able bodied police shoot men crawling on hands and knees, gangland shootings, public owned crown corporations and resources sold to foreign investors, heads of government that were not actually voted for by the people…..don't those people read their own newspapers??
We read about headlines there mainly because there are no headlines about here, but what if it was the other way around?
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I'd like to hear about the history of the video. Did the owner forget about it — or was an attempt made 5 years ago to give it to authorities? How did it surface now?
Regardless, it's certainly a different era for police, now that so many people have recording devices at the ready. They really have to watch their Ps and Qs when in the public eye.
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All of the other cops there that night were 'Accessories After the Fact'.
One of them should have disarmed and arrested the shooter on the spot.
They are all guilty of murder.
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Coup de grâce:
The expression coup de grâce ( /ˌkuː də ˈɡrɑːs/; French: [ku də ɡʁɑs], “blow of mercy”) means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer. It is often used figuratively to describe the last in a series of events which brings about the end of some entity; for example: “The business had been failing for years; the coup de grâce was the sudden jump in oil prices.”[citation needed]
In the context of an execution, it means shooting the heart or head (typically the back of the skull) of an already wounded, but not yet dead, person during a military or civilian execution. It can also refer to the near beheading that follows a samurai's seppuku.
In wartime, it can also be used to refer to the shooting (or other killing) of a seriously wounded person, either friendly or enemy, who is not expected to live or for whom medical aid cannot be obtained.
In countries that authorize executions by firing squads, a coup de grâce can be administered if the first hail of gunfire fails to kill the prisoner.
Tody, the 'Coup de grâce' shot is most common with thugs, gangsters, secret police, and now the police in Vancouver it seems. The actions by this policeman is reminiscent of the Gestapo, the KGB, and all other secret police from vile dictatorships today and from history.
What the video shows is the most base of cowardice and the biggest cowards are the VPD and all other police involved with this cover up.
Cowards and bullies, is this the legacy of the Campbell years?
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No it is not the legacy of Campbell. Read the Mulligan affair; the Vancouver Police have been corrupt for decades…..
I have a good deal of experience with people who suffer from bi-polar disease. When off medication or medications are not functioning correctly they cannot be held responsible for their actions.
This is a frustrating a very debilitating disease for the patient along with the caregivers and other family members. Many who suffer from this disease often use the police or others to assist in their suicide.
In this case, with the supporting video, it is clear the deceased had been unarmed (chain and lock removed from his side shown in the video) was wounded and did not present a threat to multiple officers at the scene. Most likely this person was going into shock and was crawling forward to get assistance virtually upon death.
Like many who suffer from a brain disease such as bi-polar disease he was rejected and victimized over again; in this case clearly an arbitrary execution by someone not qualified to deal with mentally ill people along with not being qualified to decide when to use deadly force or not.
There is no deadly threat shown in the video. The only question investigators have to answer is this:
Was the response from this officer, the use of deadly force, an appropriate response to the threat, if any? Someone crawling on their knees mortally wounded (8 slugs) presents no threat to anyone as they would expire within a couple of minutes. The answer is no.
These kinds of things, if allowed to continue in Canada, will eventually lead us to civil un-rest of a violent kind. It is the same result we witness in other countries that allow the same conduct from law enforcement.
Remember in Greece what happened when police shot that 16 year old boy? Riots in the streets for weeks.
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I just can't get rid of the sick feeling in my stomach. Animals, the whole lot of them…every one of those present needs to be tried and jailed for murder, and everyone involved in the “investigation” needs to be fired and blacklisted.
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Important thing to remember; psychotic behaviors such as the deceased exhibited should never be mistaken for psychopathic behaviors.
This fellow was helpless to stop himself from what he was doing any more than you could prevent yourself from breathing right now……
Only properly trained intervention would have resulted in a better outcome. I mean look at the video.
One officer steps behind the guy and removes the chain and lock but does not jump on the guy’s back and pin him down as per usual when they have an advantage. Why not?
Several police officers backing away from a crawling man? Why are armed professionals afraid of a dying, crawling man? It is very clear to me that none of them had any training whatsoever to deal with mentally ill people.
And this will be the result of an investigation I have no doubt; “while this death was unfortunate (but they will not state entirely preventable)….we have recommended that the Vancouver Police pursue more training for its patrol officers to be made aware of the issues surrounding the apprehension of mentally ill people…..blah, blah, blah,…”
…….like they have not had enough experience already with the ongoing DTES for decades…..remember this important fact; more than 90% of drug addiction can be traced back to untreated mental illness.
What the hell have we all witnessed going on in the DTES for decades??
Why is training to apprehend mentally ill people not mandatory for the Vancouver Police Dept? After all they have the option to arrest people under the mental health act.
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cherylb….please don't insult the animals. Animals only kill when they are hungry.
The cop Chipperfield was no better than a Mafia executioner, or a Nazi Brown Shirt. He most certainly is no human….he is an out and out monster.
Poor Robert, killed at Vancouver airport. He was scared to death of police in his own county, only to find the police in Vancouver, were worse than the police back home. Robert couldn't even speak English. He had no understanding of his situation.
Most police punishment is, a paid year of absence, and/or a transfer to another detachment. The judicial system in BC, is also the worst in Canada. The cops crimes were all swept under the carpet, they are set free to kill again. BC got a really bad cop from another province, transferred to B.C. As if BC doesn't have enough bad police already. We have enough degenerate police.
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Dan, I could not agree more. The real criminals in this story are the people who've been satisfied with the blah, blah, blah. Chief Jim Chu, Jamie Graham (particularly) and others before. We've heard it regularly.
Police officers deal often with the mentally ill but are little prepared. Very little. The fault of a youthful constable? Or a senior police executive supposedly worth hundreds of thousands per year.
AG Shirley Bond was on CBC Radio today, sounding like this video offered “new” opportunity for learning and review.
There is nothing new here other than evidence that cannot be overlooked or ignored like all the preceding evidence that came before – in Paul Boyd's case and many more.
Remember Frank Paul. Death as his outcome was as certain as a bullet to the head. And, it wascaused by the people who should have helped him. People who went unpunished.
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Hi Norm,
Frank Paul came immediately to mind along with the fellow named Jeff something…his sister had a long court case about that one…..Cameron Ward was the lawyer if I recall correctly….. There have been lots of mentally ill people murdered by untrained and apathetic law enforcement. This happens a lot more than people realize…
When training includes the mandate that these are humans rather than expendables objects then and only then will we see change in the way the mentally ill are treated.
But for the grace of god and a few brain chemicals that function correctly or we could all be mentally ill…. And meet up with one of these untrained thugs…this is not law enforcement.
As I stated mentally ill people are marginalized and victimized over and over and over….sometimes by family members who are ignorant of the issue, mostly the general public, or law enforcement.
Isn’t it interesting to note the irony of sending a mentally ill person exhibiting psychotic behavior to a physic ward where unarmed professionals set the person straight again? The health care professionals do not shoot them, they actually help get them back out of the ditch…..not the police though; we had better shoot the bastard…..because…because…. well, give us five years and we will come up with something…..
But numerous police officers would stand by and rather watch while someone is executed. What was this fellow guilty of besides being off his meds? It seems like he was tried and convicted to death for “contempt of police officer”.
Most likely scenario; he would not listen to commands to drop the weapon and lie down on the ground. If any of the attending police had one minute of training they would have realized that you cannot reason with a person who is psychotic. They have to be physically forced to do what you ask most of the time.
Easily subdued with a tranquillizer dart or watch the video and there are several opportunities to take the fellow down from behind.
I probably shouldn’t get started with J. Graham or Chu or Bond. All have demonstrated that they are unfit for duty; Graham leading, Bond a close second and Chu third although Chu has shown willingness to learn and address issues….maybe not in the way you or I would but still he is open in that way.
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The owner of the video was a visitor from Winnipeg. He assumed that since there were so many witnesses present (including police) that he had no need to hand over the video to authorities. It was only when he recently learned of the outcome of the investigations into the shooting (Const. Chipperfield was absolved of any wrongdoing) that he decided he had to come forward.
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Thanks Ole. I can't imagine any scenario other than a citizen assuming the authorities would do right. I would not have assumed that but many of my friends would have.
The cynicism I now hold was build over a very long time. No doubt you know the expression about a pessimist being merely an optimist with experience.
However, I like Mark Twain's statement that a person who is an optimist late in life, knows too little.
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Norman,
I hope you will have heard Anna Maria Tremonti's interview with David Boyd this morning. If you missed it you can hear the podcast here:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/media/audioplayer.html?categoryid=2185449222
It was a profound testimony to the dignity of this man and the strength of the human spirit.
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The most important person in my life has been a nurse for 43 years and still works a schedule that would put an end to most of us. She's dealt with, and deals with, people with mental issues, long term and situational cases.
She doesn't have truncheons, shields, helmets, tasers, guns, handcuffs or body armour in her work bag.
She is trained to use words to de-escalate situations and numerous other resolution techniques that don't involve harming others.
Police management assumes that violence should be used to end or prevent violence. There are better ways but as long as we allow these people to manage their own affairs, wrongful deaths will be part of the scene.
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Beligerance certainly seems to be in the make up of a lot of police personnel. Maybe further personality testing is needed – to help weed out the ones most likely to end up not dealing with emergency situations appropriately. Shooting a fatally wounded, unarmed man crawling on his hands and knees – probably to seek some sort of help, defies description. It goes beyond barbaric and actually incicates asevere mental condition (or abnormality) for the policeman involved – one Lee Chipperfield.
This Lee Chipperfield is a threat to society and cloaked in the uniform of a policeman makes it much more serious.
Thanks
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The police keep telling us that the use of tasers is preferable to the use of a gun. Mr. Boyd was calmly sitting on a bench talking to another person when police arrived and ordered him to lay face down on the ground. Why was a gun used at all? Surely, the situation, after it escalated, could have been dealt with by a taser (not that I advocate the use of tasers, just pointing out the police view).
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Weeding out dangerous people from police services requires a massive change in the attitudes of police management and those responsible for oversight.
I cannot over emphasize the failures of many people beyond the one man who administered the coup de grâce. He was only one actor in a much larger play. His fellow police officers on the scene, the supervisors, the police chief, the police board, Stan Lowe the police complaint's commissioner, the for-hire experts that excused this execution and the media that paid it too little attention, despite similar situations.
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Cherlyb, you are so right. Had earlier executions by police not been covered up, this would not have happened.
However, because too few officials care – and only care because. as with Dziekanski, they cannot evade video proof, there will be more unnecessary deaths. Maybe you, maybe me, maybe people we love.
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Remember the classic photograph during the Vietnam war? The police chief shooting the poor guy in the temple? Run that photo ,Norm,for the young folks reading this piece, then ask what's the difference? Time to resign Chief Chu.
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The famous photo from Vietnam is apples and oranges. In that case a war was going on. The fellow was captured and suspected to be a spy. There was no time to have a court case as at the time there would have been little in the way of law and order in that scene.
The commanding officer of the unit made a decision just like many other decisions that must be determined and made quickly on the battlefield in order to save your unit or battalion.
My late father, a British colonial officer in India ‘38-’46 from the Queen’s Royal Regiment, was the only white officer in the area( Burma jungle) for that time period so in effect he was the law. He and sat in adjudication of many cases along with making seriously unpleasant decisions such as that photo against the Japanese, that greatly affected him in his later life. Shoot first and ask the questions later; this is war officer training. Your troops disobey your commands? You are permitted to draw your sidearm and shoot the soldier dead…. This is not some play game we are talking about or some peace time mentally ill person suffering on the sidewalk…. This is killing each other. You take away all they have and all they ever will have…….
War is war. Rule number one is people die. Rule number two is doctors can’t change rule number one.
But this case is different. This scenario involves a peace time shooting by a civilian peace officer of a seriously injured human crawling on the ground. There is nothing honourable or practical about this murder and make no mistake it is a murder.
The court system always looks at intent. What was the intent of the shooter? The intent is very clear. He was going to stop the threat of a dying man crawling on the ground, just like those guys at the airport were protecting themselves from the threat of a stapler………..
The shooter’s commands were to be obeyed or he was going to pronounce sentencing immediately and then did so. This is termed “contempt of police officer” of which there is no crime involved.
The shooter lacks the capacity to use proper judgment on the use of deadly force, and demonstrates the inability to make command decisions under immediate stress.
Norm is correct. The only reason this case is re-opened is because the public is watching.
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“Shoot first and ask questions later. This is war training”. You make my point. I would direct readers to today's Vancouver Sun( June 1/2012) pg A6, read the caption, then explain the merits of dealing with “distraught”( read “mentally ill) citizens in this manner.
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