A 51-year-old man shot by Vancouver police has died of his injuries.

Police responded to a call about a distraught man standing in the intersection of East 41st Avenue and Knight Street waving a wooden two-by-four around and shouting loudly at around 5 p.m. PT, police said.

Passersby survey the scene of a police-involved shooting last night in East Vancouver. (CBC)

When officers arrived at the scene, police say they were confronted by the man who refused to comply with their instructions.

​In an emailed statement, Const. Brian Montague says police used non-lethal bean bag rounds in an attempt to disarm the man, "but he was eventually shot."

On mobile? Click here for YouTube video of the scene Saturday night

The 51-year-old was rushed to hospital, but did not survive.

Independent Investigations Office takes over

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO), which provides civilian oversight into serious police incidents, was on scene Sunday canvassing neighbouring businesses and homes, and appealing to the public for video of the incident.

Montague says any decision to use deadly force is not an easy one.

Vancouver police on scene last night after shooting a 51-year-old man in the intersection of East 41st Avenue and Knight Street. (CBC) "It is made in a split second, under difficult and stressful circumstances when our officers feel their life, the life of another officer or a member of the public is in danger and less-lethal options are ineffective or inappropriate," he said.

"We deal with many violent and volatile situation that are resolved safely, but unfortunately in this incident our officers felt they had run out of options and regrettably he did not survive."

No officers were injured during the incident.