By: Sofia Chassomeris, News Writer
Content warning: mentions of death, police violence, racism, and domestic abuse.
On September 19, Vanessa Rentería Valencia, a Black Colombian refugee and mother, was killed in her Surrey home by BC Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). One week later, several organizations, including the Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), formed a coalition to host a press conference and demand a full investigation for Rentería Valencia. Since 1979, the BWSS has worked to advocate and provide support for women experiencing abuse, with the goal of ending violence against women and girls.
The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is investigating the incident in which Rentería Valencia, who was 37, was fatally shot three times on the morning of September 19. Her church circle said police arrived at her home around 4:40 a.m. in response to a call from Rentería Valencia’s husband. Surrey RCMP said officers learned Rentería Valencia had locked herself in a room with her toddler and was “reportedly holding a weapon.” Despite Emergency Health Services’ immediate medical attention, Rentería Valencia “died at the scene.” Her child did not have any injuries.
The press conference took place at the City Centre Branch of Surrey Public Library. It was held by a coalition of organizations including the BWSS, Surrey Women’s Centre, BC Community Alliance, BC Civil Liberties Association, BC General Employees’ Union, and the Parents Support Services Society. The Solidarity Committee for Renería Valencia was also present, along with her inner circle attending via Zoom. The coalition is calling for transparency in the ongoing investigation of her death, accountability for the officers involved, and justice for her daughter.
Rosa Elena Arteaga, director of clinical practice and direct service at the BWSS, spoke at the press conference. Peace Arch News reported that organizations “gathered to expose how the system failed Rentería Valencia on multiple fronts before that fatal confrontation.”
Prior to her death, Rentería Valencia had been accessing outreach programs in her community to learn English and stayed at a shelter with her daughter for two months. CBC News said she had been “hoping to find housing of her own after leaving an abusive relationship.” Unable to do so, Rentería Valencia recently moved back with her husband and brother-in-law.
It is alleged that Rentería Valencia told a friend she wanted to leave home due to safety concerns the week she died. On the night of September 18, Rentería Valencia was with this friend and later went to collect some belongings back home. When she didn’t return to her friend’s house, her friend called the police to check on her. Peace Arch News tried to confirm if police had visited Rentería Valencia before her death, but “both the RCMP and the IIO have refused further comment since the matter is now under investigation.” BWSS notes that “the most dangerous time for a survivor/victim is when she leaves the abusive partner” and “77% of domestic violence-related homicides occur upon separation.”
“She did everything that we asked women to do when they are not safe at home, we tell them to leave,” said Arteaga.
The Peak reached out to Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of the BWSS, for an interview, but did not receive a response by the publication deadline. MacDougall also spoke at the conference, highlighting the phrasing of the RCMP’s report. The report stated that Rentería Valencia was barricaded in her room, allegedly holding “a weapon next to a young child.” MacDougall said the RCMP’s statement was “playing into well-worn narratives” used against refugees and women of colour by implying Rentería Valencia was dangerous.
“We know that women living in abusive situations retreat to bedrooms, spare rooms, bathrooms with their children to establish a physical boundary between themselves and those they believe could do harm to them,” said MacDougall.
BWSS also stated, “This is not an isolated incident, but part of a larger pattern of violence and discrimination faced by Black, Indigenous, racialized, and immigrant communities.” Rentería Valencia’s death has raised many questions within her community. Advocates wonder whether the RCMP spoke or gave commands to Rentería Valencia in English — a language she was not proficient in. They also ask whether she “even [knew] they were police and what they were doing there.”
“We do not know if RCMP attempted any type of de-escalation,” said MacDougall. “Witnesses on the scene told us they did not.”
While Rentería Valencia’s community awaits further answers from the ongoing IIO investigation, close friends have started a GoFundMe page to fundraise for her daughter and family members abroad.
This is a developing story that The Peak will continue to cover in future issues.
