Police cleared in fatal shooting of man who took nurse hostage, escaped Abbotsford Hospital

Sep 18, 2025 | 12:13 PM

SURREY — British Columbia’s independent police watchdog has cleared an Abbotsford officer of wrongdoing in a fatal shooting of a man who took a nurse hostage with a pair of scissors.

The Independent Investigations Office says in a report that it was “unfortunate” that the officer who fired two shots at the man did not have access to “effective non-lethal intervention tools,” but the shooting was justified given the circumstances.

The shooting happened Nov. 30, 2023, when the man was being released from Abbotsford Regional Hospital after being admitted for drug psychosis.

The report says the man appeared to be frustrated with a delay in the release process, then jumped into a nursing station, grabbed a nurse and held a pair of scissors to her neck before letting her go and running out.

The report says police later found the suspect running while still holding the scissors, but when confronted he ignored orders to drop the weapon, and the officer fired two shots, killing the man.

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The office says the suspect appeared to be suffering a mental health crisis but he was armed with a sharp blade that had been used to assault a nurse and he wasn’t complying with police.

“While he had not yet harmed anyone with the blade, it is reasonable to conclude that the (suspect) was holding onto it for potential use as a threat or weapon.”

The report also says the man’s attempt to gain entry into a passerby’s vehicle elevated the risk of him possibly trying to enter a nearby residence as his next move.

Police cleared in fatal shooting of man who took nurse hostage, escaped Abbotsford Hospital

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