Inquest begins into police related deaths

(Update)

A Coroner’s inquest is now underway into the deaths of three people shot and killed by police in the Toronto area. The inquest comes at a time when police use of force is coming under harsh scrutiny in the wake of the deaths of Sammy Yatim in Toronto and Steve Mesic in Hamilton.

Melissa Raftis was in court for day one of the inquest and has the details.

While these are all separate police shootings, the coroner’s council says they are being looked at in the same inquest because they have very specific similarities. Among other things, in all three cases the person killed was believed to have mental health concerns at the time of their death. Police were called to the scene in each case. And all three were said to be approaching police officers with sharp objects when they were shot to death. The first, Michael Eligon died in 2012 after being admitted to hospital for a mental health assessment. It’s said he somehow left the hospital, stole two pair of scissors and attacked a convenience store clerk before approaching police with the scissors.

25-year-old Reyal Jardine-Douglas died in 2010 after pulling a knife out of his bag and advancing on an officer on a bus.

And 52-year-old Sylvia Klibingiatis called 911 in 2011, telling officers she was going to kill her mother. When police arrived, she confronted officers with a knife.

Officers have been cleared by the SIU of wrongdoing in these cases, but the jury is tasked with making recommendations to help police avoid death in similar circumstances.

Peter Brauti is a police lawyer: “There’s always going to be these incidents regardless of what recommendations come out. If they say that all officers are going to carry tasers or need training that’s not going to completely solve the problem. Officers deal with situations all the time that require them to draw their weapons and tragedies are going to happen. But this won’t be a complete answer but let’s try to move in that direction and prove things.”

John Weingust is the Jardine-Douglas family lawyer: “I don’t know what the officer should have done, but I think that, you know, just using your gun and going after a mentally disturbed person you need something more than force on that particular matter. I just think there should be a recommendation that something has to be done in regards to training when it comes to dealing with those types of people.”

Any recommendations the jury makes will not only be considered in Toronto, but in the rest of the province as well.

Coroner’s inquests are mandatory when someone is killed while in police custody, so eventually there will be one held for Steve Mesic. He was shot to death by Hamilton police in June. Tuesday night, members of his family are attending the Police Services Board meeting at Hamilton city hall where increasing the use of tasers is on the agenda. We spoke briefly with Norm Dorr, the father of Mesic’s fiance as he went into the meeting: “These inquests we’re all looking for answers. The families of shooting victims, we’re all looking for answers. I don’t think we’re getting the answers that we want to hear especially when it comes to justice for the victims because you know I said it many times before the SIU are police policing police. As long as that remains, I don’t think there will really be justice for any shooting victim unless they’re captured on video.”

As I mentioned, increasing the use of tasers will be discussed at the Police Services Board meeting. Dorr says he thinks that could help, but says police need to be better trained to de-escalate situations.