A man shot by Burnaby RCMP after police responded to reports of a man wielding a knife has been identified as Ryan Jacob, 45, son of Squamish First Nation Chief Gibby Jacob.
The incident occurred near East Hastings Street and MacDonald Avenue around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
En route to the scene, an officer spotted a man who matched an initial description, leading to a confrontation with Ryan that resulted in the fatal shooting, according to Independent Investigations Office spokesman Owen Court.
In a family statement issued Friday, Chief Jacob said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss of our son Ryan Jacob. This news has sent a shock wave through our family and our community.
"He was not only our son, he was a loving father, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin, a sportsman and an artist."
The family requested privacy to mourn the loss.
The Jacob family has suffered a number of tragedies over several generations. Chief Jacob's granddaughter Leanne was shot in 2003, according to a 2012 Vancouver Magazine article. Shortly before that, two of Jacob's sisters died of aneurysms within six months of each other.
Jacob lost another sister, brother-in-law, niece and grandnephew when a massive mudslide wiped out part of a bridge in 1982 on what was then the Squamish Highway.
The Independent Investigations Office and the B.C. Coroners Service are investigating the death.
Please click here for more stories from The Vancouver Sun
