Apparently he wanted to die. I mean, if stabbing yourself repeatedly with a knife then challenging the man with a gun isn’t proof, I don’t know what is. If our govt’s didn’t close most of
our provincial mental health facilities over the years we wouldn’t be seeing so many mental health issues such as this.

And….why exactly do we allow “transit” police to carry firearms?

Because they are a police force just like the Vancouver City Police and the RCMP and respond to emergency calls as do the other police forces. They cover all forms of transit as well as civil areas and have the same powers as the RCMP for arresting people and pressing charges – as well as walk (bike) the beat like the RCMP do downtown here in PG. They are just paid by a different authority.

only the Vancouver transit police can carry weapons and are subject to all pertaining laws both federal and provincial and like CN and CP rail can only enforce the laws within a certain distance of the rail lines and considering the type of people they have to deal with I have no issues with them carrying weapons. Unlike American police forces Canadian police forces undergo regular and stringent weapons training but then again the nay Sayers and negative types will never be satisfied and every time there is a police involved shooting where it’s posted on social media people are too easily swayed by video that started half way through and don’t wait for the full story to emerge but then again people are extremely easy to deceive with video evidence.

As to the transit police they started carrying weapons in 2005 and strived to use retired law enforcement officials to combat the high crime rate on and near sky trains and until 2005 transit police had no authority to arrest anyone that were not on sky trains or platforms and had to wait for city or federal police to arrest on the street. Under the new laws within a certain distance of the tracks transit police have full powers to investigate, arrest and detain persons.

Does it really matter that he was from Hazelton ?? wow MUST BE VERY SLOW FOR NEWS.

I’m from Surrey and have been to Hazelton.

Very sad. I just wonder why, when he started stabbing himself, they didn’t rush him to help him? I mean, his focus was not on them then, it was on himself. Maybe they just wanted to put him out of his misery?

I don’t know. Seems like in days gone by, the police only used their weapons as a very last resort.
I’m not a policeman so I guess I don’t know. No hand to hand combat training? No training in how to safely disarm people with weapons?
Like I said, I don’t know.
The whole thing is just a very sad outcome for a very troubled young man.
My condolences to his family.