Companion Piece To The RCMP Is The Greatest Police Force In The World." --

In his own words, Klim wrote, “I may not be a soldier, but I’ll always be a hero,” ringing true to three brothers, one sister and cousins who idolized him. That’s the Christopher Klim his family wants the community to know about, instead of the man the North Okanagan became aware of as the person shot dead by Vernon police at his apartment Dec. 27, a man police say had mental health issues, came at them with a knife and disobeyed commands to drop the knife. “He was popular, sweet, soft-spoken, gentle and kind,” said June Klim, Chris’s step-mother for nearly 20 years, at the East Hill home she shares with her husband, Clarence – Chris’s dad – and Chris’s two brothers Thursday afternoon. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone.” As the family prepares to say goodbye to their son, brother and grandson Monday – Chris’s funeral is set for 11 a.m. at the Pleasant Valley Funeral Home – there is laughter and smiles, as humourous and touching stories involving Chris are recalled. There are also tears – a seemingly never-ending flow. “I was outside crying my eyes out for a couple of hours the other night,” said Clarence, 46. “Our youngest boy has been crying his eyes out. The kids are taking it really hard. His birth mom is taking it really hard. We are all devastated.” Clarence’s sister, Shirley, who just moved back to Vernon from Alberta with her kids and granddaughter, fights back tears as she recalls one of her last talks with Chris. Shirley’s son, Cameron, feels guilty that he didn’t pick up his cell phone, concentrating on his driving in the downtown core, to receive a call from cousin Chris, 20 minutes before RCMP arrived at Chris’s apartment. June can’t help but cry as she reads the words she wrote in her journal upon Chris’s death: “I have to speak on behalf of Chris, as we think we live in a world that is so caring, yet it is so selfish and so judgmental by so many people that are so hurtful,” wrote June. “We have just lost a great son. He loved his family, his brothers, his friends...” Clarence admits there were issues with his son. He said he had full custody of Chris until Chris was 10, then his son wanted to live with his mom, and Clarence obliged. After a couple of years, Chris went to live with his grandfather, Clarence’s dad. He was diagnosed with an unspecified mental illness, though schizophrenia was suspected by mental health officials. Clarence said his son started having problems in 2002, following the end of a relationship with his girlfriend. He was placed in Kelowna General Hospital after he cut his throat and wrist with a butter knife, stayed there for two weeks, then was shipped to Vernon for a month’s stay. “Things kind of spiralled down from there,” said Clarence. http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/vernonmorningstar/news/Vernon_family_mourns_loss_of_son.html

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