Woman fatally shot by Calgary police had been seeking mental health care, friend says

A close friend of the woman who was fatally shot by Calgary police Wednesday said she had spent years battling mental health and addiction, and had been actively seeking care in the months before the incident.

The woman, identified by her friend as Amanda, was 36 and had struggled with mental health issues, suicidal ideation, and cycles of substance abuse despite achieving an eight-year period of sobriety at one point in her life. She was a paraplegic with one leg amputated as a child and was raising a small child as a single mother.

"She'd gone through a lot, but that doesn't mean that Amanda wasn't one of the best people I've ever met," said Megan, who had known Amanda for 11 years since they met in a post-secondary program in 2015. "She was one of the funniest people I've ever met in my entire life."

In the weeks before Wednesday, the situation had intensified. Megan said they were working to get Amanda into a hospital and detox program, but were running into long waiting lists. Amanda had also been living in a sober-living group home that provided stability, but she was moved out after reaching what Megan described as an "expiry date" on her stay. "When you have somebody who struggles severely with mobility and depression, moving them out where they're all by themselves and isolated was basically her undoing," Megan said.

Amanda's safety plan included multiple professional touchpoints. "Her psychiatrist had phoned and informed the police about Amanda's mental state. The social worker phoned. Her therapist phoned. PACT had done an extensive report and a plan," Megan said, referring to the Police and Crisis Team. Because Amanda was afraid of police, part of her safety protocol was that Megan—who lived minutes away—would be called to try to calm her before officers arrived.

Neighbors reported seeing police at Amanda's home multiple times, and Megan confirmed these were welfare checks initiated by friends, family, and concerned community members. The week before the shooting, Megan had been there holding Amanda as she panicked, "more in a fight mode than a flight mode."

While details of Wednesday's shooting remain under investigation, Megan emphasized that "everybody was trying" to help Amanda get the support she needed.