​Brydon Whitstone was not armed when he was shot by an RCMP officer, but he had reached for his waist as police ordered him to surrender, according to testimony at the inquest into his death.
An RCMP officer fatally shot 22-year-old Brydon Whitstone of Onion Lake Cree Nation on Oct. 21, 2017 following a brief police pursuit in North Battleford, Sask.
A coroner’s inquest into Whitstone’s death began Monday in Battleford, Sask. The inquest jury will rule on how Whitstone died and be asked to make recommendations on how to prevent deaths like his.
Sgt. Rob Zentner of the RMCP was first to testify at the inquest. An officer with the RCMP’s major crimes unit, Zentner was investigating the shooting before Regina Police Service took over.
Zentner said 13 bullets were found on Whitstone’s clothing, and that a live, unused 22-calibre round was found in his stomach, as if Whitstone had swallowed it.
The inquest jury heard Monday that Whitstone had rammed two police vehicles in the course of a 20- to 30-second chase. (David Hutton/CBC News)
Whitstone’s car was pinned by two police vehicles at an intersection. Zentner testified that officers repeatedly ordered Whitstone and his passenger, Amanda Wahobin, to put up their hands and get out of the vehicle, but that the two were “non-compliant.”
Whitstone continued to rev the engine in an effort to wedge his car out of the police vehicles’ grip, Zentner said.
He said that at one point, an officer smashed the driver’s side window of Whitstone’s car and ordered him out, but the pair remained in the vehicle.
Wahobin is expected to testify later this week.
Before the inquest, the RCMP offered only a few details about Whitstone’s altercation with the RCMP: that the car Whitstone was in rammed a police vehicle, and that the officer responded to Whitstone’s actions that night.
On Monday, Zentner said two RCMP vehicles were rammed during the 20- to 30-second chase, which spanned two city blocks.
The RCMP had received a complaint at about 8:55 p.m. CST that night about people shooting at a man from a vehicle. That complaint led the RCMP to the car driven by Whitstone, which matched the description of the car described in the original shooting complaint.
No charges for officer
Justice officials decided in August that no criminal charges will be laid against the RCMP officer who shot Whitstone.
Whitstone’s family has been impatient to hear details about what prompted the officer to shoot.
His mother, Dorothy Laboucane, was present for Monday morning’s testimony. She was teary-eyed when she entered the courtroom at Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench.
The only detailed account of that night before the inquest had come from Wahobin, who was in the front passenger seat of the SUV in which Whitstone was shot.
Wahobin told CBC News there was no gun in their vehicle but that Whitstone pretended to reach for something. She said a police officer shouted that Whitstone was grabbing a gun before police fired on Whitstone.
Accounts from other witnesses offered at the inquest will continue to test Wahobin’s account as inquest progresses.
Justice officials decided in August that no criminal charges will be laid against the RCMP officer who shot Whitstone. (CBC)
Jury selection
Under the province’s Coroner’s Act, the presiding coroner can see that jurors are pulled from a randomly-selected pool of Status First Nations jurors, as well as another separate pool from the general public.