A young woman who lived downstairs in a Whalley home rented by Nona McEwan told a coroner乌鸦传媒檚 inquest Tuesday that the shooting victim乌鸦传媒檚 boyfriend Randy Crosson, who was also shot dead by police, 乌鸦传媒渨asn乌鸦传媒檛 a nice person.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淗e terrorized me, quite frankly.乌鸦传媒�
She told the inquest Crosson 乌鸦传媒渨as always yelling and he was up all night-doing weird things.乌鸦传媒�
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 Coroners乌鸦传媒� Court, on the 20th floor of Metrotower II, with Coroner Margaret Janzen presiding.
A Surrey-based police watchdog 乌鸦传媒� the Independent Investigations Office 乌鸦传媒� in 2020 found the RCMP乌鸦传媒檚 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 乌鸦传媒渨hat appeared to be乌鸦传媒� a gun in his hand. Forensic police later found a 乌鸦传媒渞ealistic-looking乌鸦传媒� 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 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 a helicopter at your house, are you OK?乌鸦传媒� but she wasn乌鸦传媒檛 home at the time.
乌鸦传媒淚 really liked Nona,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淪he was firstly very kind and she was extremely caring to everyone that was in her life乌鸦传媒 saw her as a motherly figure, she really cared about all of our well-being.乌鸦传媒�
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 乌鸦传媒渄idn乌鸦传媒檛 seem realistic乌鸦传媒� but police later found on their database an outstanding warrant for Crosson乌鸦传媒檚 arrest.
乌鸦传媒淩andy is known to have guns and use them, albeit on birds.乌鸦传媒�
Payete said police tried to phone into the house, but the calls weren乌鸦传媒檛 answered.
乌鸦传媒淭here was no noise from the house at all,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淐omplete silence.乌鸦传媒�
They then used the public address system on a police vehicle. Still no response from within the house, the police then 乌鸦传媒渂anged乌鸦传媒� on the side of the house. 乌鸦传媒淭here was a real possibility there was nobody inside.乌鸦传媒�
Because of the report about a gun, and possible gunshot heard, the ERT was called in, Payette said, and they 乌鸦传媒渁rrive in waves,乌鸦传媒� with negotiators in tow. By this time roughly 90 minutes had passed.
Asked if there乌鸦传媒檚 anything he thinks could have been done differently, resulting in a different outcome, Payette said he was spent 乌鸦传媒渃onsiderable乌鸦传媒� time pondering that question over the past five years. 乌鸦传媒淭his was obviously one of the more difficult nights in my career and I乌鸦传媒檓 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 incident乌鸦传媒� related to the possible gunshot or scream.
The IIO concluded McEwan died because of Crosson乌鸦传媒檚 actions, as he held her against her will in her home, threatened her life, 乌鸦传媒渁nd provoked an armed response from the police aimed at saving her.乌鸦传媒� His actions, the IIO乌鸦传媒檚 Chief Civilian Director Ron MacDonald said, 乌鸦传媒渕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.乌鸦传媒�
Accordingly, he found, 乌鸦传媒淚 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.乌鸦传媒�
The IIO operates out of Bing Thom乌鸦传媒檚 Central City tower in Whalley and reports to B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 attorney general.
MacDonald noted his report was based, in part, on the statements of 25 乌鸦传媒渃ivilian乌鸦传媒� 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.
