Vancouver Police Department shooting suit moves forward

Lawyers for the family of Michael Vann Hubbard are taking steps to bring a civil suit against the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department.

Vann Hubbard, a 58-year-old homeless person with a history of mental illness, was shot dead by a police officer on Homer Street on March 20, 2009.

Last December, the Abbotsford Police Department, which conducted an investigation into the incident, announced that the two officers who confronted Hubbard acted appropriately. The officers, who were investigating a theft, reported that Hubbard moved toward them with a box cutter in his hand.

Lawyer Doug King of the Pivot Legal Society told the Straight that, by the end of September, his group will be serving the city with the writ of summons Pivot filed before the B.C. Supreme Court last year on behalf of Hubbard’s family. He added that a subsequent notice of civil claim will be submitted to the court.

"It would be asking for a recognition that his charter rights were violated," King said in a phone interview. He noted that his group isn’t pursuing a wrongful-death suit.

The claim will invoke Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects the right to life, liberty, and security of person. It will also cite Section 15, which states that everyone has the right to equal protection before and benefit of law. King said the police "have an obligation to be able to deal with mentally ill people on the street", like Hubbard.

Comments

3 Comments

mad dogg

Sep 17, 2010 at 3:02pm

the police are nothing but organizied thugs paid by the tax payers.

glen p robbins

Sep 17, 2010 at 7:12pm

Maybe Chewy could spend less time kissing the RCMP's ass over the gun registry (I don't own guns and have no interest in them) - actually read the Dr. Seus like report (seriously an idiot could tell in 20 minutes its ridiculous) -- and focus on getting his own gig right.

By the way - what happened with the story about the handicapped woman who was shoved to the ground for no reason -- shipped out to Poco?

Burnaby Joe

Sep 18, 2010 at 8:35pm

Hubbard spent 1 minute and 49 seconds advancing on police with a knife and begging them to shoot him. I find it astonishing that the family would file a wrongful death suit since they were not even aware he was living in Canada. The PIVOT Legal Society is a criminal advocate just like the BC Civil Liberties Assoc.