BURNABY, B.C. — A coroner's jury is recommending that transit police in the Vancouver area work more closely with mental health providers following the death of a man who repeatedly stabbed himself and was shot by an officer at a grocery store more than two years ago.
Naverone Woods, 23, was shot by a transit police officer inside a Safeway store in Surrey, B.C., on the morning of Dec. 28, 2014. He was a member of the Gitxsan First Nation who had lived in Terrace and Hazelton in northern British Columbia.
The coroner's jury heard three days of testimony and made eight recommendations Wednesday to try and prevent similar fatalities in the future.
It recommended that transit police implement a program similar to the RCMP's Car 67 initiative in Surrey, which allows Mounties and a clinical nurse specializing in mental health to work together in responding to calls involving people suffering emotional problems.
It also recommended that the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service review the circumstances of the young man's death to identify ways of preventing fatalities in similar circumstances in the future.
As well, it wants TransLink and the Coast Mountain Bus Company operating in the Vancouver area to implement training scenarios for their personnel in dealing with people who have mental health issues or are intoxicated, along with giving transit workers direct access to 911, possibly through a panic button. The inquest heard that Woods appeared agitated and had ran into the closed doors of a bus earlier on the day he died.
![](https://media.darpanmagazine.com/library/uploads/news/content/naverone-woods#</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
the coroner's inquest began monday and heard from witnesses inside the safeway, the officers who were involved in the altercation and medical professionals who worked to revive woods.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
const. pamela mckinnon, the officer who shot woods, testified that she and sgt. lee ezra were driving to surrey central transit station when they heard over the police dispatch that a man had jumped over the counter of a nearby convenience store and demanded a knife. a second call said the man had gone inside a safeway store and was stabbing himself.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
the safeway's loss-prevention officer told the inquest that woods went directly to the back of the store and ripped open a package of knives before wandering the aisles stabbing himself between 12 and 20 times.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
mckinnon testified that when she and ezra entered the store, woods was bleeding profusely from his abdomen, mumbling incoherently and jogging on the spot with knives in both hands.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
she said she and ezra drew their firearms and repeatedly yelled at woods to drop the knives, but he didn't appear to hear or react. when woods suddenly lunged at ezra, mckinnon said she fired twice, hitting the young man the second time.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
woods was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:25 a.m. the coroner's verdict listed the cause of death as "stab and gunshot wounds to the right arm and torso."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
.jpg)
MORE National ARTICLES
RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson Says He Plans To Leave His Post By Summer
In a message to the force on Monday, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson said he will leave at the end of June to focus on his family more after spending 32 years with the force, the last five as commissioner.
RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson Says He Plans To Leave His Post By Summer
B.C. Teachers' Federation Says Tentative Deal Reached With The Province
The union issued a news release Saturday saying the two sides have agreed to restore contract language from a previous agreement that called for smaller class sizes.
B.C. Teachers' Federation Says Tentative Deal Reached With The Province
Trudeau To Take In Canadian 9/11 Inspired Musical 'Come From Away' On Broadway
Trudeau tweeted Saturday that he has two tickets to see the musical set in a remote East Coast town in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Trudeau To Take In Canadian 9/11 Inspired Musical 'Come From Away' On Broadway
Body Of Man Found In Rural Abbotsford, B.C., Suspicious, Police Say
A citizen came across the body just after 5 p.m. on Friday.
Body Of Man Found In Rural Abbotsford, B.C., Suspicious, Police Say
David Warner Catches Fans Off Guard, But Daughter Ivy Is Not Amused. Here's Why
Australian opener David Warner stepped out of his hotel to take a walk with his daughter Ivy and wife Candice in Bengaluru but was soon mobbed by his fans who wanted pictures with the batting star.
David Warner Catches Fans Off Guard, But Daughter Ivy Is Not Amused. Here's Why
Vancouver Police Investigate Suspicious Death At Seymour Street Condo
Vancouver Police are investigating a suspicious death at a Seymour Street condominium.