A former London man fatally shot by police in Kitchener had struggled with mental-health issues, say friends.

But those who knew Beau Baker, an aspiring tatoo artist, say they can’t understand why police resorted to deadly force.

Baker, 20, had spent nine days in a psychiatric ward in January.

He lived in and out of group homes as a teen and had battled addiction. Sometimes, he cut himself.

On the night he was shot, witnesses say he was wielding a knife.

But that doesn’t mean he should have died, those close to Baker said over the weekend.

“He’s not a violent person and he would never hurt anyone,” said friend Crystal Pettigrew.

Why police shot at Baker, and how lethal force came to be used, are questions still unanswered in last Thursday’s shooting.

Ontario’s police watchdog agency, the Special Investigations Unit, is still probing the shooting.

The SIU investigation is focusing on one officer involved in the shooting and seven witness officers, a spokesperson said.

Sunday, Waterloo Regional police said they have no further information to release.

Friends of Baker plan a Monday rally in downtown Kitchener to ask why police didn’t use non-lethal means to arrest him.

A memorial for Beau Baker is seen by the front door of the 77 Brybeck Cres. low-rise building in Kitchener on Sunday. (CRAIG GLOVER, The London Free Press)

“I think everybody just wants real answers,” Pettigrew said. “They didn’t have to kill him.”

In London, friends are holding a candlelight vigil Monday night at Kipps Lane and Adelaide St. N.

Waterloo Regional police were called to Baker’s apartment complex in Kitchener last Thursday shortly after 9 p.m.

Baker was out front of the four-storey building on Brybeck Cres., with what appeared to be a kitchen knife when he was shot, said witnesses.

Those witnesses reported hearing three to five gunshots.

He died in the hospital.

Friend Gracelynn Fortin, 16, talked to Baker an hour before his deadly encounter with police.

“Beau wouldn’t dare try and hurt someone,” said Fortin, who believes what happened was a “cry for help” by Baker.

“He was not a violent person. He was probably the most kind, caring person you could ever meet.”

Growing up the youngest of three brothers in Kitchener, Baker attended Sir George Ross secondary school and Fanshawe College in London.

He’s remembered as a talented electric guitar player and artist who dreamed of starting his own tattoo business.

The SIU, which has the power to lay criminal charges, investigates all cases of civilian death or serious injury involving police.

dale.carruthers@sunmedia.ca

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