Inquest into B.C. police shooting deaths recommends emergency events be recorded
An inquest jury looking into the police shooting deaths of a man and the woman he was holding hostage has recommended that events involving the emergency response team be recorded with both video and audio.
The recommendation is one of seven that come Thursday following the inquest into the deaths of Randy Crosson and Nona McEwan in March 2019 in Surrey, B.C.
The jury also recommended the Ministry of Public Safety offer extended training to probation officers in mental health disorders and addictions, and create partnerships with health authorities.
When reading their recommendation that events involving emergency response team members be “captured by audio, visual and other means,” the jury foreperson said the suggestion was based on testimony from police and the Independent Investigations Office, who said recordings would be beneficial.
The jury recommended inquests be done in a timely manner. The foreperson said they heard testimony that the five-year wait following Crosson and McEwan's deaths was “too long.”
It was recommended that the RCMP ensure the emergency response team have access to explosives without delay and that positions be created for full-time hostage negotiators.
The final recommendation was for 911 call takers to be trained to play back calls related to critical incidents to crisis negotiation teams.
During the inquest, the jury heard from several officers involved in the more than nine-hour standoff, which ended with police shooting and killing both Crosson and McEwan.
RCMP were called to the home after reports of a loud bang and a scream, and arrived believing that a man inside had a gun.
They would spend hours trying to get a response from anyone inside the home, including though loudspeakers.
The jury heard Crosson had a criminal record dating back to 1996, including break-ins, theft, assault, carrying a weapon and numerous convictions for failing to comply with court orders.
In 2003, he was convicted of assaulting McEwan and released on a two-year probation order.
The jury was told Crosson had used drugs, mainly heroin and crystal meth, since his late teens and was diagnosed as bipolar.
The inquest began last week with a statement written by Crosson's son, who described his father as a caring person who didn't have the opportunity to “get clean” from his addictions.
McEwan's son described her as a great mother who always tried to do at least one good deed a day.
Officers testified that in the early morning hours of March 29, 2019, Crosson was heard giving a one-hour deadline before he would kill McEwan, and very soon after shortened that to five minutes.
An emergency response team of six officers stormed the bedroom where Crosson was holding McEwan.
In the flurry of bullets that killed Crosson, McEwan was struck twice, in the arm and in the abdomen. She died on the way to the hospital.
Officers testified that when they entered the room, Crosson was lying on a bed with McEwan held against him as a human shield.
He had a knife to her throat and a gun in his other hand, they told the jury.
A report from the province's Independent Investigations Office cleared officers of any wrongdoing. It said investigators found “a realistic-looking replica pistol” at the scene.
Police on the scene, including hostage negotiators, testified at the inquest that they believed Crosson was potentially volatile and violent after his relationship with McEwan ended and he was told to leave the house.
The jury heard that a mental health expert working with the police believed Crosson wanted to die.
A friend of McEwan testified that in the days prior to her death, McEwan was happy that Crosson was leaving the house so that she would be free to “discover herself.”
Inquest juries do not place blame but have the option to make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths from happening in the future.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion, 1 person seriously injured: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.