Two Vancouver police officers cleared in fatal 2009 shooting

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has cleared the Vancouver police department of any wrongdoing in the September 2009 fatal shooting of Eugene Anthony Knight by two officers.

At about 9: 30 p. m. on Sept. 18, officers responded to a 911 call of a domestic dispute in the 2500- block of Birch Street.

“Operators at 911 reported hearing a woman screaming and shouting that her life was being threatened by a man with a knife,” Const. Jana Mcguinness said at the time.

When officers arrived, they forced entry into the suite and discovered Knight, 46, threatening his wife at knifepoint, police said. Police deployed a Taser, which proved ineffective. Two officers then fired their guns, killing Knight.

Vancouver police asked IHIT — a multi- agency squad — to investigate the shooting and on Thursday, IHIT announced it had concluded the investigation and found the officers had done nothing wrong.

“After a thorough and lengthy investigation, IHIT determined that there was no criminality involved in this fatal officer- involved shooting and the file was not forwarded to Crown Counsel,” Sgt. Peter Thiessen said in a statement.

The Office of the Police Complaint Commission will now review IHIT’S report.

Neither Knight’s wife, nor their daughter, who was also home at the time, were injured in the incident. They both received counselling.