An independent group should review the use-of-force policy that guides New Brunswick police to ensure it is concise and understood by all officers in the province, a coroner's jury recommended Thursday.
The three-woman, two-man jury was tasked with examining the death of Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman shot dead by a police officer in northern New Brunswick in 2020 during a wellness check. Jurors ruled her death a homicide, following four days of testimony at the inquest that began Monday.
Earlier Thursday, Chris Butler, an expert in Canadian policing and the final witness at the inquiry, said the officer who shot Moore was following police training. Butler said Const. Jeremy Son had to use lethal force when Moore advanced toward him holding a knife.
Moore, Butler told the jury, was only five to seven feet away from Son on the balcony outside her apartment.
"Officer Son was imminently at risk of grievous harm or death at the point he started shooting," he said.
Moore was a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in British Columbia and had moved to New Brunswick to be closer to family shortly before she was killed. Investigators with Quebec's police watchdog, the Bureau des enquetes independantes, concluded last year that the shooting occurred after Moore approached the officer with a knife in her hand.
Jonathan Brunet, a former boyfriend of Moore, told the inquiry earlier this week that he called police at 2:06 a.m. on June 4, 2020, to request a wellness check after he received text messages that he thought were written by someone stalking Moore.
Son arrived on the third-floor balcony outside Moore's apartment at 2:32 a.m. and saw her sleeping on a couch inside. He knocked on the window and shone a flashlight on himself to show he was in full police uniform.
Son told the inquest that Moore appeared to pick up something metallic on her way to the door. He testified that when she emerged outside, she had a knife in her hand pointing upward and an angry look on her face. Son said Moore did not respond to his demands to drop the knife and that he shot her four times in rapid succession.
"Const. Son's use of lethal force in this situation was consistent with police training and practice," Butler said. He said Son left himself with no exit by backing up on the balcony, but he said it would only be speculation to suggest the outcome would have been different had the officer instead been standing on the stairs.
Butler said that the ballistics vest Son was wearing could be easily pierced by knives.
Son told the inquest that he demanded in French that Moore drop the knife. Butler said that with such limited time and without knowing whether Moore was bilingual, the officer should have issued his demand in French and in English, or yelled, "Police! Stop!"
Police officers who testified earlier in the week said efforts to stop the bleeding from Moore's wounds ended when a pulse couldn't be found. Butler, meanwhile, said efforts to provide medical aid should have continued until paramedics arrived.
Former Edmundston police chief Alain Lang told the inquest Wednesday that his police force only had one working Taser on the night Moore was shot. He said the force now has five, adding that while all officers have been trained in their use, it is not mandatory that they carry Tasers.
Butler said it was "indefensible" that the force trained officers on how to use Tasers but didn't have a policy requiring they carry them. However, he noted that conductive-energy weapons such as Tasers are not 100 per cent reliable and are often not effective if a probe misses or the target is wearing heavy clothing.
He said Son only had time to use his gun.
The jury recommended that police officers in the province be tested on their comprehension of current police force policies and procedures. Jurors also recommended police take actions to build better relationships with First Nation communities.
Coroner Emily Caissy said she will forward recommendations to various agencies that will have six months to respond. However, the recommendations are not binding.
Martha Martin, Moore's mother, said it has been a difficult week for her. "You hear all the details leading up to the death of your child," she said about the inquest. "You hear the details to when their very last breath was taken."
The six chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick issued a statement Thursday saying the inquest demonstrated the urgent need for an Indigenous-led inquiry into systemic racism. They say the jury's findings and recommendations do not address the serious nature of the tragedy or the systemic issues embedded in the justice system.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2022.
Air Canada is planning to reduce its flights in July and August, according to a statement from the company's president, as the airline continues to deal with 'customer service shortfalls.'
Police in Saanich, B.C., say they continue to investigate the possibility that a "third suspect" was involved in a fatal shooting at a bank that left two suspects dead and six officers injured Tuesday.
A woman who was trapped inside a bank during a robbery and fatal shootout with police near Victoria on Tuesday says there is one question still plaguing her a day later: Why didn't the gunmen just leave with the money?
Fallen R&B superstar R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for using his fame to subject young fans - some just children - to systematic sexual abuse.
Five months ago, the first 'Freedom Convoy' trucks rolled into Ottawa. After the federal government took the unprecedented step of invoking the Emergencies Act to end the protests, a series of inquiries and probes have been initiated. With the nation's capital bracing for more protests over the Canada Day weekend, CTVNews.ca takes a look at where the main commissions and studies stand.
A mother of three children is speaking out after spending a night on the floor of Toronto Pearson Airport with her young kids in a nightmare weekend of travel.
A toddler accidentally left in a vehicle for hours died Tuesday and police said his father was found dead in an apparent suicide at their Virginia home, police said.
Air Canada is planning to reduce its flights in July and August, according to a statement from the company's president, as the airline continues to deal with 'customer service shortfalls.'
Canada's transport minister is speaking out about the 'unacceptable issues' that continue to result in significant delays. He says the federal government has done everything in its control to fix the issue.
An expert at the University of Calgary says a float in a small Alberta town's annual parade made a mockery of some of the symbols the Sikh religion hold sacred.
The Calgary Police Service confirms a 16-year-old has been charged following an investigation into reports the teen had tried to hire someone to commit a murder for them.
Canadians flying out of the Montreal airport might be in for a bit of a shock this summer as the head of the Trudeau airport says airlines will "likely" be asked to cancel some flights — or even destinations altogether.
A social media campaign to help find a compatible stem cell donor for a four-year-old girl in Montreal is putting a spotlight on the lack of diversity in donor lists.
Ahead of the hustle and bustle of festival season in Montreal, Quebec health officials are asking people to stay vigilant amid rising COVID-19 numbers.
A man who insists he's still the leader of an Alberta separatist party says an effort to push him out, amid allegations of theft, is being led by "agents" who have infiltrated the board.
Damien Christopher Starrett was found guilty of killing his one-year-old son Ares Starrett and assaulting another child in a Fort Saskatchewan home on Nov. 23, 2019.
Canadian travellers are having to employ the 'hurry up and wait' practice at airports across the country lately according to new data. According to the Winnipeg Airport Authority (WAA), this impact isn't being felt to the same extent as other airports in the country.
Air Canada is planning to reduce its flights in July and August, according to a statement from the company's president, as the airline continues to deal with 'customer service shortfalls.'
Anne-Marie Ready, 50, and Jasmine Ready, 15, died from stab wounds following an incident at a home on Anoka Street Monday night, police said Wednesday afternoon.
Air Canada is planning to reduce its flights in July and August, according to a statement from the company's president, as the airline continues to deal with 'customer service shortfalls.'
Regena Cameron remembers the shock of seeing cousin Jeanette in a B.C. hospital three years ago, after she was admitted in what a judge later called "an advanced state of neglect." Now, she is speaking out, hoping to prevent further suffering.
Authorities have announced charges against a B.C. RCMP officer who allegedly used his position to pursue "intimate relationships with women," both on and off duty.
The road to decriminalizing drugs in Regina is being paved. On Tuesday, the Board of Police Commissioners met to discuss the possibility of decriminalizing personal illicit drug possession in the city of Regina.
Police in Saanich, B.C., say they continue to investigate the possibility that a "third suspect" was involved in a fatal shooting at a bank that left two suspects dead and six officers injured Tuesday.
A woman who was trapped inside a bank during a robbery and fatal shootout with police near Victoria on Tuesday says there is one question still plaguing her a day later: Why didn't the gunmen just leave with the money?
A Lower Mainland animal hospital is turning to reality television to help raise funds so they can, in turn, help pet owners – including those on Vancouver Island – with costly major surgeries on animals.
