Saskatchewan (CBC News) – A coroner’s jury in Saskatchewan says the shooting death of a man by RCMP officers responding to a domestic dispute was a form of suicide.
The jury’s conclusion came Friday, after five days of hearing evidence about what happened June 14, 2008, on the White Bear First Nation, southeast of Regina.
Chase McKay, 21, had been drinking and arguing with his common law wife. At one point he threatened to harm himself.
When police arrived, McKay had already left his home with a knife. According to testimony at the inquest, two officers caught up to him about 200 metres to the east.
RCMP Const. Glenn Walter told the inquest that his partner, Const. Christ Hanson, repeatedly ordered McKay to drop the knife.
McKay failed to comply and started moving forward. At that point, officer Hanson fired his gun twice.
McKay was hit in the heart and abdomen and died instantly.
The jury’s findings said McKay died of the gunshot wounds, but the jury added that it was a suicide, with alcohol a contributing factor. It did not elaborate on those findings.
The jury made four recommendations, including that domestic disputes be assessed by police to determine whether an intervention is necessary, and that police should call on a mental health adviser in some domestic disputes.
The jury also said officers should have Taser stun guns, or what police call conducted energy weapons, on hand.
And it said all RCMP detachments should have a canine unit available to members and that a police dog should be used for all domestic disturbance calls.
Findings criticized
Some observers at the inquest reacted harshly to the findings, particularly the conclusion that McKay’s death was a type of suicide.
Melanie Fisher, a Regina woman who lost a family member in an unrelated police shooting, said the jury should not have blamed McKay for being shot.
“We are told over and over again that an inquest is ‘where, when, why.’ It’s not to place blame,” Fisher told CBC News on Friday. “We believe we have an inquest here that is laying blame. A young man, Chase McKay, is taking the blame.”
A group called the Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism levelled the same criticism at the inquest’s outcome.
In a news release, the group said the actions of RCMP should be more carefully scrutinized.
“It is about RCMP accepting responsibility for their actions and then moving on to find ways of reducing the risk of similar deaths,” Bob Hughes, a spokesman for the coalition, said in a release.
“From our experience, [coroner's] inquests are solely about trying to show that the RCMP had no responsibility for their deadly actions.”
McKay left his common law spouse and a daughter. He was also known to some as Chase Standingready. The formal notice of the coroner’s inquest called him Kenneth Chase Wilfred Standingready-McKay.
The White Bear First Nation is about 200 kilometres southeast of Regina.
Too true Calvin, too true.
Interesting recommendations from the jury, which as in most places are just ordinary folks asked to make them after hearing all the facts.
“The jury made four recommendations, including that domestic disputes be assessed by police to determine whether an intervention is necessary, and that police should call on a mental health adviser in some domestic disputes.”
Availability of such a resource? Next to zero.
“The jury also said officers should have Taser stun guns, or what police call conducted energy weapons, on hand.”
Probability of equipping every officer that may deal with domestics a taser? Zero. Prohibitive budget considerations.
“And it said all RCMP detachments should have a canine unit available to members and that a police dog should be used for all domestic disturbance calls.”
Probability of having a dog unit at every one of 750 offices available for every domestic? Desirable, but totally cost prohibitive. Letting the animal be cut and or stabbed is a question.
““From our experience, [coroner's] inquests are solely about trying to show that the RCMP had no responsibility for their deadly actions.””
Very sad that an independent agency such as the Coroners office, who utilize ordinary folks in its mandate, is so derided by a special interest group.
As you noted, there could be a creation of an independent agency for such investigations now undertaken by the police upon themselves. However, I would venture that if not satisfied with whatever findings or investigations that are done, you will have the same attitude as you have now. Accusations of bias, favoritism, etc.. I think the point is some persons / groups, will never be satisfied and we have to come to terms with that.
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The investigation of officer-violator contact when deadly force is used by the police is complex. It is even more complex when there is a pre-existing climate of mistrust and animosity in the mix.
“Suicide by Cop” is defined on the internet and is recognized that people use the police to kill themselves. The trouble is that the person usually gets the results that is wanted and are killed. Therefore, we never know for certain what their intent was. The mistrust and animosity has to be acknowledged and put aside and the facts of the of the case, and the outcome of the investigation, presented no matter who it helps or who it hurts.
Deadly force may be used by the police when fearing death or grievous bodily harm to yourself or others and all other means to subdue the person has been exhausted. The violator must also have the ability, means, and intent to cause death or grievous bodily harm before deadly force can be used. (See RCMP Incident Management Intervention Model I.M.I.M.)
Judging by the recommendations and comments, I realize and understand that their perception of violence is limited and, in some cases, misguided. They have to examine, Officer Imposed Jeopardy, Hormonal Induced Stress etc. There are people out there who have no idea what a person with an edged weapon (knife) can do.
There are processes that can be used to educate key community people and elected officials etc. as to the stress of dealing with deadly encounters from a policing perspective.
While stationed in the Diversity Management Section of the RCMP in Ottawa I exposed the Commissioner’s Advisory Committee on Visible Minorities to the Fire Arms Training System (F.A.T.S. Machine). This was not to teach them how to use a firearm, but to expose them to hormonal induced stress and “shoot don’t shoot” situations that police officers are faced with. It was very successful in changing several “made up minds” about the police use of their weapons.
Managers have to start thinking outside the box to to educate people on the issue of deadly force, especially if there are calls for the creation of an outside agency to investigate the RCMP.
Calvin Lawrence
C.G.L. Consulting
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