Long-delayed report from Lionel Desmond fatality inquiry to be released Jan. 31

HALIFAX -

The long-delayed inquiry report into an Afghanistan war veteran's decision to kill his family and himself in Nova Scotia will be released Jan. 31.

The province's judiciary says the final report by Judge Paul Scovil on the Lionel Desmond fatality inquiry will be released at the courthouse in Port Hawkesbury, N.S.

Nova Scotia's government called for an inquiry in February 2018, but it took nearly two more years for evidence to be heard and the COVID-19 pandemic caused more delays.

In July, the province dismissed the judge who had presided over the inquiry, Warren Zimmer, and asked that a new judge be named to speed up delivery of the final report.

The inquiry heard that Desmond was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after a violent tour of duty in Afghanistan but appeared to be falling through the cracks in the health-care system as he struggled to find help.

On Jan. 3, 2017, Desmond used a semi-automatic rifle to kill his 31-year-old wife, Shanna; their 10-year-old daughter, Aaliyah; and his 52-year-old mother, Brenda, in the family's home in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2024.

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