Police watchdog clears Vancouver officers after man shot with beanbag shotgun

British ColumbiaThe IIO has released a report into the death of 42-year-old Chris Amyotte, who died in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in 2022 after a police officer shot him with a beanbag shotgun. Bystanders said Amyotte had been acting like he had been pepper-sprayed and needed help.IIO says police officers did not commit an offence in the 2022 death of Chris AmyotteLauren Vanderdeen · CBC News · Posted: Dec 05, 2025 7:17 PM EST | Last Updated: December 6Listen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. released a report Friday into the police-involved death of Chris Amyotte in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. (Submitted by Sarah Blyth)WARNING: This story contains graphic content that some readers may find disturbing.Vancouver police officers have been cleared by B.C.’s police watchdog in the death of a man who was shot with a beanbag shotgun in the city’s Downtown Eastside in 2022.A report by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO), released Friday, said there are no reasonable grounds to believe an officer committed an offence in the death of 42-year-old Chris Amyotte, an Ojibway father of eight from Winnipeg who was visiting family in Vancouver.On Aug. 22, 2022, bystanders saw him running naked down Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside and pouring milk over himself, as if he had been pepper-sprayed.But when he did not comply with police orders, an officer shot him in the back with a beanbag shotgun.Family later identified Chris Amyotte, 42, as the man who died after being shot by Vancouver police with a beanbag gun in 2022. (Submitted by Samantha Wilson)Amyotte went into medical distress and died despite lifesaving attempts.In B.C., the IIO is mandated to investigate when police are involved in a situation that results in death or serious harm.The office’s report does not name Amyotte, any witnesses or police officers; family later identified Amyotte as the victim.Witnesses say man was in distressMultiple civilian witnesses told the IIO they saw a naked man running on the sidewalk and acting like he had been pepper-sprayed on that day in August 2022, according to the report.Bystanders said the man appeared to be in pain and was “clearly in distress,” pouring milk over himself.One witness said he did not understand why nearby officers were not responding to the situation, “as [Amyotte] was clearly not in possession of any weapon, and was not acting aggressively.”WATCH | Amyotte’s family demands answers in wake of death:Family of man who died after being shot with beanbag gun wants answersThe family of Chris Amyotte, who died after being shot with a beanbag gun by Vancouver police last week, says they are still waiting on answers from investigators.Meanwhile, a VPD officer arriving on the scene told the IIO that the man, whom he described as about six-foot-two and more than 250 pounds, “was suffering from drug psychosis or ‘excited delirium.”Officers said they believed the man had stolen the milk, an arrestable offence.Police told the IIO they ordered Amyotte multiple times to walk towards and get down on the ground.A civilian witness said he also tried to warn Amyotte to get on the ground.“There were eight police officers,” the witness told the IIO. “And none of them took the time to say, ‘Hey buddy, what’s going on, why are you naked?’”Audio evidence of the incident indicated multiple bystanders yelled at police that the man had been pepper-sprayed.“None of the witness officers acknowledged having been told by civilian witnesses that [the man] was suffering from the effects of pepper spray,” said the report.The officer who shot Amyotte with the beanbag gun declined to be interviewed by the IIO, but his police report said he believed the man to be “a danger to himself and others” due to his state of intoxication and “apparent state of psychosis.”The sidewalk in front of the Hazelwood Hotel on East Hastings Street where a man was killed by VPD officers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside on Aug. 22, 2022. (Ben Nelms/CBC)The officer said he fired rounds from his beanbag shotgun “to de-escalate a dangerous situation,” and added the man was “much bigger in stature than myself or other officers present, and was purposely ignoring my commands.”Video evidence showed the man “running or jogging away from police” with his arms in the air.The officer continued firing beanbags at Amyotte until he went down onto the sidewalk. Six officers brought him to the ground and handcuffed him.Chris Amyotte in a 2016 photo. (Submitted by Samantha Wilson)Amyotte quickly went into medical distress and became unresponsive.The report said Narcan spray was ineffective, and Amyotte died despite CPR attempts.Amyotte’s autopsy stated the cause of death was the combined effects of bear spray exposure, methamphetamine and fentanyl use, cardiomegaly, obesity and physical restraint.The report stated that the non-lethal rounds did not cause injuries that would have contributed to his death.Officers did not use unnecessary force: IIOJessica Berglund, chief civilian director of the IIO, called the contrast between the responses of bystanders and police noteworthy.But she said courts have held that police use of force cannot be judged in hindsight or “against a standard of perfection.”Jessica Berglund, the chief civilian director for the IIO, released a report into the 2022 death of 42-year-old Chris Amyotte on Dec. 5. (CBC)VPD policy allows officers to use less-lethal weapons to de-escalate dangerous situations, according to the report.Beanbag rounds are allowed while “taking control of a resistant person by causing distraction, mental stunning and balance displacement,” the IIO report said.The office said the use of beanbags against the back or buttocks and a “brief struggle” to restrain “would not be expected to cause either serious injury or death.”Berglund said officers did not use force that was unnecessary, excessive or unreasonable to an extent that would amount to a criminal assault or manslaughter.ABOUT THE AUTHORLauren Vanderdeen is a web writer for CBC British Columbia. She formerly worked for community newspapers, including the Burnaby Now and New West Record. You can reach her at lauren.vanderdeen@cbc.ca.With files from Eva Uguen-Csenge