‘Having a badge, gun isn’t necessarily the answer’: Langley RCMP standoff response questioned

The daughter of a man who died during a police standoff in Langley, B.C., this weekend has a lot of questions about the police response.

Investigators are still on the scene at the 0 Avenue farm where 66-year-old Don Bennett died on Friday.

The incident began when officers were called for a wellness check at about 4 p.m.

Upon arrival, officers reported hearing gunshots and the Emergency Response Team was called out.

About six hours later a barn caught fire and burned to the ground.

Bennett is believed to have died in that fire, which also destroyed two police vehicles.

0:35 One man believed to be dead in Langley building fire

Nicky McIntosh told Global News her father was having a mental health crisis and the arrival of heavily-armed police officers only escalated the situation.

McIntosh and her siblings want to know if there were any mental health professionals at the initial call-out.

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“He definitely dealt with some mental health issues over the years that had gotten worse during the pandemic, during COVID,” McIntosh said.

She added that the family was not told about the wellness check until about 10 p.m. Friday and she wants to know why they were not contacted earlier.

“He has so many friends and family members that could have easily been contacted, even just to touch base with him,” McIntosh said. “And then who was on the scene with the police officers? Because when somebody is in mental distress, having a badge and a gun isn’t necessarily the answer.”

The Independent Investigations Office has now taken over the case and McIntosh is hoping that could potentially bring about some change to mental health and wellness checks. No further comment will be provided until that investigation is complete.

For now, McIntosh is remembering the man her father was and said the family is just hoping for answers.

“My dad was fun to be around,” she said. “He was the life of the party and just loved his horses, loved working on vehicles, loved his dogs and just loved his family.”