Surrey officer cleared in shooting death of machete-wielding man

SURREY — British Columbia’s police watchdog agency has cleared a Surrey RCMP officer in the shooting death of a man who threw a machete at police after killing his spouse.

The Independent Investigations Office says the shooting happened on July 7 last year, when a team of officers were called to investigate a possible domestic assault at the home.

Officers arriving at the back door were met by the man covered in blood and holding a machete, who then threw the weapon in the direction of police after stun guns were used.

The man was shot in the chest and killed, and police then found his spouse dead inside the home, apparently killed by the same machete before police arrived.

IIO chief civilian director Jessica Berglund says in a report that police had anticipated possible violence, and the appearance of a bloodied man holding a deadly weapon then immediately raised the risk to officers to an imminent threat.

Berglund says the man then escalated the situation by throwing the machete in what could be interpreted as an attempt to cause grievous harm, and the use of lethal force was necessary and justified.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2026.