Jeff Lee, CanWest News Service Jan 28
Family members of young man shot by the RCMP in Vernon, B.C., say he suffered from mental health issues and had refused to take his medication. They confirmed 23-year-old Chris Klim was killed by police on Thursday after he threatened them with a knife. The police were executing a warrant under the Mental Health Act at the time.His grandmother Shirley Klim said she and her husband had looked after Chris for years and that he suffered from mental health issues.In a release Friday, RCMP said they were forced to shoot after the man "produced a knife and threatened to use it on police officers." The officers said they feared "grievous bodily injury or death." Klim was taken to Vernon Jubilee Hospital where he died of his wounds. The RCMP's major crime section, the B.C. Coroners Service and the Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP are investigating.
A neighbour described Klim as a sweet person who lived alone on social assistance. Mary-Kathryn Albrecht said he seemed disturbed recently and told her he didn't want to take his medication. "I know he was upset over being made to take his injections and his medication, and he had said a couple of times when I ran into him last week "I never hurt anybody, I never hurt anybody," she said. Shirley Klim said her family is still trying to deal with the tragedy and is awaiting the outcome of the police investigation. She said her grandson was estranged from his father, Clarence. Clarence Klim said he knew Chris was having problems, but didn't keep in contact. "He just didn't want to take the medication, and he felt he didn't need it," he said. "He tried to kill himself a few years ago, and he would get depressed lots."
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