Warning: This story discusses intimate partner violence that may be triggering for some readers.

The sister of a Surrey woman killed by police says she would have never have hurt anyone 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” especially not her young daughter.  

In the early morning hours of Sept. 19, 2024, Surrey RCMP received a call about a "disturbance" at a home in Cloverdale, in the 6200 block of 180A Street.

Police say a woman, whom family later identified as Vanessa Renteria Valencia, had barricaded herself in a room with a toddler and was allegedly holding a weapon near the child. Less than an hour later, at about 5:30 a.m., an officer shot Vanessa, who died at the scene.

Her death leaves Vanessa's family with unanswered questions about what happened that night.

Vanessa's sister, Sandra, came to the Lower Mainland from Colombia in October 2024 with the support of the Colombian community in Vancouver and a non-profit anti-violence organization in Vancouver's Battered Women's Support Services. Vanessa's body was transported back home to Buenaventura, Colombia, and the family had a memorial service in November 2024. 

But they've been unable to put their questions about her death to rest.

Sandra agreed to meet with the Surrey Now-Leader this week to share her family's story.

Through a Spanish interpreter, Sandra said she believed her sister did not have a weapon. If she had an object in her hand, Sandra said it was likely to protect herself "from someone who was trying to harm her" but stressed that "she would never hurt her daughter." 

Sandra said her sister was not a threat and, if anything, she was "overprotective" of her daughter, which has been strengthened by her friends and her members of her church who witnessed Vanessa91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s parenting skills.

"If one day Vanessa's daughter reads this or goes through the media, she wants Lyanna to know that her mother loved her so much that she was overprotective and that she will never do any harm to her," Sandra said. 

Vanessa had moved to Canada from Colombia with her partner in 2022. She was an active community member and was set to start English lessons the week after she died. 

Sandra said her sister and niece had spent at least two months staying in two temporary shelters for women who were experiencing intimate partner violence. But Vanessa left the shelter in late August when she could not find a place to live, and she returned to the Cloverdale home where she lived with her husband and brother-in-law.

Days before her death, Vanessa phoned her sister, asking her to take care of her daughter if anything were to happen to her. While Sandra was aware of the alleged abuse in Vanessa's marriage, this call shocked her. 

Sandra described her sister as an intelligent, strong and exceptional 37-year-old woman with her whole life ahead of her.

"So why a person start being afraid for her safety or her life?" she said. 

A day before Vanessa was shot, she called Sandra, and she expressed distress and fear. Sandra tried to ask her sister what was happening, but Vanessa would not elaborate.  

Vanessa trusted local police, sister says

Vanessa also expressed concerns that she was worried about the safety of Sandra's family back home in Colombia and told her sister she should go to the police.

Sandra wondered if threats had been made against her family and asked if Vanessa also needed protection, but Vanessa assured her that the local police would protect her if she called for help. 

Vanessa had trusted the police in Canada and could have never imagined that it was the police that would end her life in front of her daughter, and she wants to know what happened before the police came to her home, Sandra said. 

The family has many unanswered questions for police about what happened the night Vanessa died.

Sandra is calling on the police to try and gather as much background information as possible on the people involved in situations like the one that called them to Cloverdale that night.

"It doesn't make sense to shoot someone before you investigate what's going on for her," she said.

Sandra believes her sister likely thought she was safe when she heard the police had arrived at her home on the morning of Sept. 19. 

"She never had imagined that she was going to be killed and that now, because they killed Vanessa, a daughter lost her mother, a sister lost her sister, and her parents lost a daughter," Sandra said. 

Sandra hopes police understand the "immense pain" their actions have caused her family since shooting Vanessa. 

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” was notified of the incident shortly afterwards and started an investigation. The Surrey Now-Leader reached out to the IIO on Feb. 12 for an update on the file; however, a spokesperson said the IIO could not give a timeline for when the investigation may be completed because of the "complex nature" of the incident. 

Speak out: Don't stay silent about abuse

Shortly after Vanessa's death, many community organizations rallied to expose how the system failed Vanessa on multiple fronts before that fatal confrontation.

Sandra hopes Vanessa's story can serve as a warning for other women in abusive relationships to speak out and ask for help. If Vanessa had gone to an organization like Battered Women's Support Services, she would have likely learned about her rights and how to protect herself. 

Sandra believed her sister had never reported the allegations of abuse to the police in Canada. Sandra said many factors likely played into her keeping silent, one being her faith. Vanessa was raised in a religion where you are often told to take care of your partner and not to share what goes on in the home.

There was even one time that Vanessa reached out to Sandra after a suspected incident and asked her if she should call the police. Sandra told her sister, "No, don't call the police because you don't want to create problems."

Sandra still feels immense guilt for that advice.

While having faith is essential for some, Sandra said, it is equally important to speak up and not stay silent when something is going on. 

HELP FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

If you or someone you know needs help with an abusive home situation, resources are available:

SURREY WOMEN'S CENTRE

Surrey Women91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s Centre is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support women and girls facing gender-based violence and to help care for women and children escaping violence.

• info@surreywomenscentre.ca
• 604-589-1868

BATTERED WOMEN'S SUPPORT SERVICES

BWSS offers support and assistance for those in crisis, including community resources and referrals to transition houses, lawyers and medical services.

• Crisis Line at 604-687-1867 (Metro Vancouver) or toll-free, 1-855-687-1868
• Email: intake@bwss.org
• Website :