Randy Crosson had 乌鸦传媒渄etermined, angry, rage-filled eyes乌鸦传媒� in his last seconds, using his girlfriend as a shield as police fired more than 30 bullets in their direction.
Bedlam had already erupted in the small bedroom as Const. Brent Wantke followed his fellow Emergency Response Team members in. Crosson, 48, had a gun to Nona McEwan乌鸦传媒檚 chest, she screamed, and the bullets flew. Wantke didn乌鸦传媒檛 fire his, for fear of hitting the other ERT officers before him.
乌鸦传媒淭he hostage was brought to the kitchen,乌鸦传媒� he said, for medical help. Wantke did a 乌鸦传媒渨et check乌鸦传媒� on Const. Darcy Rowe, to make sure he wasn乌鸦传媒檛 hit. 乌鸦传媒淚t was very crowded.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭hey were in super, super tight,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚 couldn乌鸦传媒檛 see the paint on the wall, that乌鸦传媒檚 how close they were.
乌鸦传媒淚 couldn乌鸦传媒檛 say how many rounds came from who.乌鸦传媒�
At the four-minute mark into Crosson乌鸦传媒檚 five-minute warning, the six ERT officers were authorized to go in. 乌鸦传媒淲e believed that the suspect was going to imminently kill the hostage,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒滿y role was to simply save the hostage any way possible.乌鸦传媒�
Wantke had been with ERT for four months at the time.
Rowe, the second officer to enter the room, fired his gun. He too recalled the terrifying scene, testifying Friday (April 19) during a coroner乌鸦传媒檚 inquest into the deaths of Crosson and McEwan, 45, both killed by police during the March 29, 2019 hostage-taking in the Whalley house she rented.
Coroner Margaret Janzen is presiding over the inquest in Burnaby, at Coroners乌鸦传媒� Court. It乌鸦传媒檚 expected to run for two weeks, with a jury of four women and a man hearing testimony.
Urgency and stress were clear in Rowe乌鸦传媒檚 voice as he recounted the horror.
Smoke and debris hung in the air from the strip charge police used to blast the bedroom door open. A stream of light shone through the window onto the bed. Crosson was 乌鸦传媒渟eated up乌鸦传媒� in the darkness at the corner of the bed, with McEwan on top of him, and he was holding her around her neck.
乌鸦传媒淚 could see the movements of Miss McEwan乌鸦传媒檚 hair,乌鸦传媒� Rowe said. 乌鸦传媒淚 knew that I had to get closer.乌鸦传媒�
Crosson pointed his gun at Rowe乌鸦传媒檚 partners. 乌鸦传媒淚 see his eyes and he has determined, angry, rage-filled, eyes as he starts pointing out towards my partners. I know now that there乌鸦传媒檚 a bunch of debris in the doorway which has started to tangle in my feet. I乌鸦传媒檓 trying to now get to that contact shot as I乌鸦传媒檝e seen this change. I now realize that I can乌鸦传媒檛 get to that, but I have to do something in order to stop this threat. I believe that Miss McEwan乌鸦传媒檚 on top of him, as the shield, I take this as a chance to twist and shoot under and hit him in such a way that it will change his behaviour. As I fire, I乌鸦传媒檓 starting to go down from all the debris I乌鸦传媒檝e been caught up in, the weight of my vest and helmet take me down, and in that instant there乌鸦传媒檚 a moment of fabric and everything which becomes in my view which hadn乌鸦传媒檛 been, and I can乌鸦传媒檛 understand what happened. At that point I come to rest on the corner of the bed.乌鸦传媒�
Multiple rounds are going off. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 stuck on that corner of the bed, laying partially down against it.乌鸦传媒�
The firing stops but 乌鸦传媒渢he yelling and screaming and everything continues, I乌鸦传媒檓 grabbed, people believe I乌鸦传媒檓 shot.乌鸦传媒�
Rowe got pulled out of the room, taken out of the house through the front and to a vehicle. 乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 see what has happened and transpired within the room, I don乌鸦传媒檛 know the status of Miss McEwan, Mr. Crosson or my teammates at that point.乌鸦传媒�
Rowe said he fired two rounds. Asked how many gunshots he heard, Rowe told the inquest 乌鸦传媒渄ozens, there was probably more than 30 rounds fired乌鸦传媒� from different firearms.
A Surrey-based police watchdog 乌鸦传媒� the Independent Investigations Office 乌鸦传媒� in 2020 found the ERT blameless in the shooting deaths. The standoff saw roughly two dozen police vehicles, as well as an armoured vehicle, descend on the home in a cul-de-sac near 132A Street and 100A Avenue.
Both officers were asked if the phenomenon of sympathetic fire occurred, when officers shoot because others are. 乌鸦传媒淣o, absolutely not,乌鸦传媒� Wantke told the jury.
Rowe said he couldn乌鸦传媒檛 speak to what the other officers did. 乌鸦传媒淚 know what I saw and what I reacted to, I don乌鸦传媒檛 know what their risk assessment was at that point or what they saw, so I can乌鸦传媒檛 speak to that, no.乌鸦传媒�
The inquest continues.
