A coroners inquest has made 16 recommendations after hearing the case of a 48-year-old man who was fatally shot by police outside a British Columbia casino.
Mehrdad Bayrami was shot and killed following an hours-long standoff outside New Westminster’s Starlight Casino in November 2012.
The recommendations include improving access to mental health services and reducing stigma around mental illness.
Bayrami’s daughter Nousha Bayrami told the inquest on Tuesday that her father had been on medication for severe depression prior to his death, and that she likely could have helped to talk him down.
The inquest recommended establishing provincial standards for police emergency response teams, that the teams work with psychologists during incidents, and record standoffs on a mobile device.
The coroners inquest was tasked with considering whether to make recommendations aimed at preventing similar events from occurring, but it cannot assign blame.