‘Cared for everyone’: Best friend of teen shot by police says he had so much to live for

WARNING: Some of the details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.

The best friend of a 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed by Surrey RCMP officers on Sunday afternoon told Global News that she will miss the way he always made people laugh the most.

Chase, whose last name we are not releasing for privacy reasons, was a neurodivergent 15-year-old boy.

Gabby Fisher had known Chase for about seven years.

She said she heard sirens on Sunday afternoon but she didn’t know what had happened until Monday morning when her mom told her that Chase had died.

“I don’t think he deserved to go so early at the age of 15, and he had so much to live for,” she said. “He had so much going for him. He had such a big character. He always loved dressing up. And he would scare me all the time when I’d go to his house.

“And he loved his friends. Every room that someone would walk into, there was always laughter because of Chase, and he always cared for everyone and his family and his friends, and there was never a dull moment with him.”

On Sunday, RCMP were called about a person with a weapon by a schoolyard. Surveillance video shared with Global News shows Chase holding something, then appears to point it at himself, before pointing it at the pursuing officers.

An RCMP officer fired two shots, killing the teenager.

“I think that he was very scared and was in shock,” Fisher said. “Because, I mean, if police were chasing after me, I’d be pretty scared too.”

She said Chase deserved to be alive today and questioned if there was a better way to deal with the situation.

“He’s never been the person to hurt anyone or hurt himself, but he was just a very loving person,” Fisher added.

The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is now investigating as a police officer was involved.

On Tuesday, the organization confirmed the victim in the case was a youth but did not provide any other details, including what Chase was holding.

Trending Now

“It’s a piece, important piece of investigative information that we will release at the right time, but it’s not something that we can release at this time,” Jessica Burglund with the IIO told Global News.

In a statement on Monday, Surrey Schools confirmed a student from the Clayton Heights Secondary School community had died over the weekend.

“Counsellors will be on-site at Clayton Heights Secondary to support staff, students and the community,” the school district confirmed in an email.

AutismBC says it strongly advocates for trauma-informed care to support the community and this incident has amplified the urgency for action.

“It is crucial to emphasize understanding of disabilities affected by delayed executive functioning and auditory processing and to enhance our protection of the non-speaking community members who can be particularly at risk,” the organization in a statement.

“To this end, we advocate for comprehensive education and training for all emergency medical services across sectors. Additionally, we continue to advocate for a neuroaffirmative and voluntary identification system to support autistic and non-speaking individuals.”

Meanwhile, a memorial continues to grow at the location where Chase died.

“He loved helping people, no matter what, in what situation they were in, he loved helping people,” Fisher said.

“I think that everyone deserved a chance to meet him and to get to know him, because he was a really good person.”