Day 1 of inquest into death of man during arrest in Brantford

Today was the first day of a coroner’s inquest into the 2019 death of a man who died inside a Brantford hotel room while Hamilton police were attempting to arrest him in connection with a double homicide.

David Thomson, 33, was inside a hotel room at the Days Inn on Fairview Drive on Nov. 3, 2019, when police surrounded the building and directed him to surrender himself.

After hearing a single gunshot, officers went into the room and found Thomson had died from a self-inflicted wound.

At the time, Thomson was wanted by police in the double murder of 62-year-old Donald Lowe and 32-year-old Cheryl Nicholl in Hamilton the previous night. Police believe they were targeted.

Day one of the inquest heard from Thomson’s father, Lee Doolittle.

Doolittle told the jury his son was a good man with a lot of friends, but had mental health issues.

READ MORE: Date set for inquest into death of man during arrest in Brantford

Thomson dropped out of high school but later took courses and eventually graduated.

Doolittle says he had only reconnected with Thomson as an adult.

The jury also heard from one of the police officers who was at the scene on the night of the incident.

Hamilton police Sgt. Andrew Coughlan told the jury officers were aware that Thomson was suicidal and may have had a gun. However, they couldn’t back off because he was a wanted person.

The inquest is expected to last for five days.

The jury is tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding Thomson’s death and making recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future.

READ MORE: Suspect in Hamilton double homicide found dead in Brantford hotel