A young woman who lived downstairs in a Whalley home rented by Nona McEwan told a coroner91裸聊视频檚 inquest Tuesday that the shooting victim91裸聊视频檚 boyfriend Randy Crosson, who was also shot dead by police, 91裸聊视频渨asn91裸聊视频檛 a nice person.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淗e terrorized me, quite frankly.91裸聊视频�
She told the inquest Crosson 91裸聊视频渨as always yelling and he was up all night-doing weird things.91裸聊视频�
The inquest into the deaths of the Surrey couple killed by police during a hostage-taking in Whalley on March 29, 2019 opened April 16 in Burnaby at Coroners91裸聊视频� Court, on the 20th floor of Metrotower II, with Coroner Margaret Janzen presiding.
A Surrey-based police watchdog 91裸聊视频� the Independent Investigations Office 91裸聊视频� in 2020 found the RCMP91裸聊视频檚 Emergency Response Team (ERT) blameless in the shooting deaths of Nona Marnie McEwan, 45, and her boyfriend Crosson, 48, whom authorities say was holding McEwan against her will in her rented home. The standoff saw roughly two dozen police vehicles, as well as an armoured vehicle, surround a home in a cul-de-sac near 132A Street and 100A Avenue.
McEwan was killed when she was struck by two police bullets as ERT officers fired on Crosson, who held a large knife to her throat and had 91裸聊视频渨hat appeared to be91裸聊视频� a gun in his hand. Forensic police later found a 91裸聊视频渞ealistic-looking91裸聊视频� replica pistol between the bed and the wall. Crosson was pronounced dead at the scene and McEwan died in hospital.
The tenant, who lived at the house for nine months, said her father phoned her, saying 91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 a helicopter at your house, are you OK?91裸聊视频� but she wasn91裸聊视频檛 home at the time.
91裸聊视频淚 really liked Nona,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淪he was firstly very kind and she was extremely caring to everyone that was in her life91裸聊视频 saw her as a motherly figure, she really cared about all of our well-being.91裸聊视频�
Surrey Police Service Sgt. Chris Payete, who in 2019 was a Surrey RCMP corporal road supervisor, said he responded to a dispatch call at roughly 10 p.m. about a man with a gun. He said the information 91裸聊视频渄idn91裸聊视频檛 seem realistic91裸聊视频� but police later found on their database an outstanding warrant for Crosson91裸聊视频檚 arrest.
91裸聊视频淩andy is known to have guns and use them, albeit on birds.91裸聊视频�
Payete said police tried to phone into the house, but the calls weren91裸聊视频檛 answered.
91裸聊视频淭here was no noise from the house at all,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淐omplete silence.91裸聊视频�
They then used the public address system on a police vehicle. Still no response from within the house, the police then 91裸聊视频渂anged91裸聊视频� on the side of the house. 91裸聊视频淭here was a real possibility there was nobody inside.91裸聊视频�
Because of the report about a gun, and possible gunshot heard, the ERT was called in, Payette said, and they 91裸聊视频渁rrive in waves,91裸聊视频� with negotiators in tow. By this time roughly 90 minutes had passed.
Asked if there91裸聊视频檚 anything he thinks could have been done differently, resulting in a different outcome, Payette said he was spent 91裸聊视频渃onsiderable91裸聊视频� time pondering that question over the past five years. 91裸聊视频淭his was obviously one of the more difficult nights in my career and I91裸聊视频檓 on the low, very, very low end of being impacted by this. It would have been really great to know the real, the truth of how this started earlier on in the incident91裸聊视频� related to the possible gunshot or scream.
The IIO concluded McEwan died because of Crosson91裸聊视频檚 actions, as he held her against her will in her home, threatened her life, 91裸聊视频渁nd provoked an armed response from the police aimed at saving her.91裸聊视频� His actions, the IIO91裸聊视频檚 Chief Civilian Director Ron MacDonald said, 91裸聊视频渕ade it inevitable that officers would fire on him when they broke into the bedroom, and who held her in front of him as a shield against police bullets.91裸聊视频�
Accordingly, he found, 91裸聊视频淚 do not consider that there are reasonable grounds to believe that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment and therefore the matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.91裸聊视频�
The IIO operates out of Bing Thom91裸聊视频檚 Central City tower in Whalley and reports to B.C.91裸聊视频檚 attorney general.
MacDonald noted his report was based, in part, on the statements of 25 91裸聊视频渃ivilian91裸聊视频� witnesses, seven paramedics and 38 witness police officers. A toxicology report indicated Crosson had methamphetamine, amphetamine, fentanyl, nor-fentanyl, heroin, ethanol, THC and naloxone in his system.
The inquest is expected to run for two weeks.
