'We lost one of our own': Hundreds grieve death of Nigerian man shot by Winnipeg police

Hundreds of people attended a sombre candle light vigil for a Nigerian man who was fatally shot by Winnipeg police on New Year's Eve.

A line of people stretched outside the sanctuary of St. John's Chapel at the University of Manitoba campus – where 19-year-old Afolabi Stephen Opaso had been studying economics.

"We lost one of our own. He is our brother. He is our son and he is also our family because the unity – we stand together as one," said Taino Aromasodu, the vice-president of the Nigerian Association of Manitoba.

Aromasodu said many in Manitoba's Nigerian and wider African community came to the candlelight vigil to grieve Opaso's death. Roughly 300 people were in attendance.

"We've all come out in solidarity for the death of our own. Because it is all about peace. We stand for peace, so we are not here for any protest. We are not here for anything but peace and we need justice."

Opaso died after he was shot by a Winnipeg police officer on Dec. 31 in an apartment suite on University Crescent. Police said officers had been responding to reports of a man acting erratically when they found Opaso armed with two knives.

Jean-René Dominique Kwilu, a Winnipeg lawyer for Opaso's family, told CTV News the man was having a mental health episode. He said there is no indication Opaso attacked police.

He said Opaso's family wants transparency in the investigation and accountability for what happened.

"This is a broader opportunity for us to really address especially in the province the response and intervention we do around mental health," he said. "Overall, I think with this grief, it would just be an opportunity hopefully for change in terms of mental health situations."

The shooting death is currently being investigated by Alberta Serious Incident Response Team. The investigation was handed over to Alberta's police watchdog by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

Dominique Kwilu said most of Opaso's family is in Nigeria. He said family members are working to get their visas so they can come to Winnipeg, at which point funeral arrangements can be made.