--- title: "Mother testifies at inquest into son's fatal police shooting" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-sons-fatal-police-shooting" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-sons-fatal-police-shooting" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-sons-fatal-police-shooting.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-sons-fatal-police-shooting" category: "Politics" published: "2026-11-10T21:25:25.832Z" source_reported: "2026-11-09T20:40:36.896Z" updated: "2026-11-10T21:25:25.832Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 60 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-10T20:45:09.499310+00:00" --- # Mother testifies at inquest into son's fatal police shooting *Crystal De Balinhard hopes Chase's death leads to better first responder training for neurodivergent individuals.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named body, but no other corroboration or named sources. - Craft 60 of 100, higher is better. Story is clear and holds together, but lacks quotes from anyone affected or opposed. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Headline is factual and does not overstate the article's content. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Crystal De Balinhard testified at a coroner's inquest into the death of her 15-year-old son, Chase, who died on Feb. 9, 2025. - Chase De Balinhard had multiple developmental and medical conditions, including autism, ADHD, and a mild intellectual disability. - B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office previously concluded that officers' use of lethal force was legally justified. - De Balinhard stated her family's advocacy aims to improve training for first responders, not to oppose police. Crystal De Balinhard testified at a coroner's inquest into the death of her 15-year-old son, Chase, who was shot by police on February 9, 2025. She told the inquest that she hopes his death will lead to improvements in how first responders communicate with neurodivergent people in crisis. De Balinhard described her son's medical and developmental challenges and acknowledged the difficult circumstances faced by the officers involved. She stated that her family's advocacy is focused on training, not on creating an opposition to police. Chase De Balinhard had autism, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, XYY syndrome, a visual impairment, a heart condition, and a mild intellectual disability. His mother described him as funny, kind-hearted, and fond of practical jokes, superheroes, old movies, and vintage toys. He also had a passion for kayaking and dreamed of becoming a police officer like his grandfather. His family worked with professionals to develop coping strategies for when he became overwhelmed, which could include anger, swearing, or walking away. A written mental-health safety plan was in place, though it had not been updated to reflect changes in his counselling team. Testimony from Dr. Patricia Frew, Chase's psychiatrist, detailed his mental health history, including chronic suicidal thoughts. Frew explained that many of Chase's statements about wanting to die occurred during periods of emotional distress, and he sometimes denied wanting to act on them. Previous clinical records described thoughts involving specific methods of dying, and during an April 2024 assessment, Chase described intrusive thoughts about going into traffic or being stabbed, responding that it was 'a bit of both' when asked if he wanted these things. Frew also recalled an incident where Chase made a comment about wanting to shoot up his school, which she believed was connected to bullying. The psychiatrist stated Chase was generally not assaultive toward others. His grandmother had raised concerns about a recent suicidal thought at his final psychiatric appointment on January 8, 2025. ## Disagreement on justification B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office concluded that the officers' use of lethal force was legally justified, according to CTV News. Global News reported on the coroner's inquest into Chase De Balinhard's death, but did not include details about the IIO's findings in its digest. ## What the coverage left out None of the reports below mention the Independent Investigations Office's conclusion that the officers' use of lethal force was legally justified. The Global News digest did not include this detail. ## Who covered it Shares of the 15 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 93% (14) - Centre: 7% (1) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 16 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-10T20:45:09.499310+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-10T21:45:06.662Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated report from Global News led with a video titled 'Coroner’s Inquest into Chase De Balinhard death'. The digest stated that the inquest was examining Chase De Balinhard's death. It did not include details about the Independent Investigations Office's conclusion that the officers' use of lethal force was legally justified. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from CTV News led with the testimony of Crystal De Balinhard, the mother of the 15-year-old autistic boy. The full report detailed Chase's medical and developmental challenges, including autism, ADHD, and a mild intellectual disability. It also included the conclusion from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office that the officers' use of lethal force was legally justified. The report quoted De Balinhard stating, 'It’s never been us against them. It’s just about training, because I know that nobody that was there had any autism-specific training.' ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 7 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 8 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Caledonia Courier](https://caledoniacourier.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier - [Creston Valley Advance](https://crestonvalleyadvance.ca/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - [Grand Forks Gazette](https://grandforksgazette.ca/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - [Houston Today](https://houston-today.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - [Kitimat Northern Sentinel](https://northernsentinel.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - Northern Sentinel - [Omineca Express](https://ominecaexpress.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - Vanderhoof Omineca Express - [Peninsula News Review](https://peninsulanewsreview.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - [Penticton Western News](https://pentictonwesternnews.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - [Smithers Interior News](https://interior-news.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - The Interior News - Smithers BC - [Sooke News Mirror](https://sookenewsmirror.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - [The Free Press](https://thefreepress.ca/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - [Today In BC](https://todayinbc.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-police-shooting-death-of-b-c-teen) — Mother testifies at inquest into police shooting death of B.C. teen - [Peace Arch News](https://peacearchnews.com/2026/11/09/mother-testifies-during-inquest-into-shooting-death-of-chase-de-balinhard) — Mother testifies during inquest into shooting death of Chase de Balinhard - [CBC News](https://cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/chase-de-balinhard-inquest-9.7415605) — Mother testifies police killing of autistic son in Surrey left her 'broken' - [CTV News](https://ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/inquest-into-fatal-police-shooting-of-autistic-bc-teen-begins) — ‘It’s never been us against them’: Mother of autistic teen shot by police testifies at inquest - [Global News](https://globalnews.ca/video/12143809/coroners-inquest-into-chase-de-balinhard-death) — Coroner’s Inquest into Chase De Balinhard death ## Questions **What is the purpose of the coroner's inquest?** The coroner's inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding the death of 15-year-old Chase De Balinhard. Unlike a legal investigation, the inquest's purpose is not to determine criminal or civil liability but to examine the events and consider recommendations to prevent similar tragedies. **What conditions did Chase De Balinhard have?** Chase De Balinhard had multiple medical and developmental conditions, including autism, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, XYY syndrome, a significant visual impairment, a congenital heart condition, and a mild intellectual disability, according to his mother and psychiatrist. **What was the conclusion of the Independent Investigations Office?** B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office concluded that the officers' use of lethal force in the incident involving Chase De Balinhard was legally justified. The office found no reasonable grounds to believe an officer had committed a criminal offence. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-sons-fatal-police-shooting. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Mother testifies at inquest into son's fatal police shooting", https://mediabias.news/politics/mother-testifies-at-inquest-into-sons-fatal-police-shooting