The brother of a man shot and killed during an altercation with Penticton RCMP on Tuesday afternoon says he was having a mental health crisis and he would like police to get more training on de-escalating a situation.
Seth Murray says his brother Matthew was only 33 years old when he died.
“Kind, he was very kind,” Seth told Global News.
“He always looked out for his friends.”
On Tuesday, RCMP responded to multiple 911 calls about a man acting erratically and waving a knife around on Government Street near the hospital.
Witnesses said they saw a police officer and the victim engage in what’s described as a “tussle” before the officer opened fire.
“He had severe depression and high anxiety, and, I mean, he wasn’t comfortable in a public place,” Seth said, adding that his brother lived on his own in an apartment and was not a drug addict but that he may have been off his medication at the time.
“I think he was having a mental breakdown,” he said.
Matthew’s ex-girlfriend told Global News that he had been going downhill the past few months.
Miranda Sajna said Matthew was in the hospital recently for mental health reasons.
Seth added that his brother’s loved ones are wondering why less-lethal means were not deployed or if a mental health worker was dispatched with the police.
“Had that been implemented maybe we wouldn’t have a dead body today,” he said.
He is hoping his brother’s death highlights the need for more training for police to deal with cases involving mental health.
B.C.’s police watchdog confirmed it is now investigating the police-involved shooting.
Matthew’s family and friends anxiously await the outcome of that investigation to hopefully learn more about what went wrong that fateful day.
For now they say they will remember a soft-speaking man who had a great laugh.
“He had a really intoxicating laugh,” Seth said. “It was funny and I mean it always brought a smile to my face when we were together.”