Inquest into N.W.T. police shooting death wraps up
Karen Lander was shot and killed by police in March 2012
CBC News
Posted: Mar 6, 2013 1:59 PM CST
Last Updated: Mar 6, 2013 3:47 PM CST
A coroner's jury in Yellowknife heard the final arguments this morning at the inquest into Karen Lander's death.
The inquiry looked at the circumstances which led up to Lander's death at the hands of RCMP last year. She was shot by three different RCMP officers after coming out of her house holding a gun.
On Tuesday, a police "use of force" expert testified that police are trained to fire their weapons when someone points a gun at them.
The scene on the street last March after the police shootout. The inquest jury must classify the death as either homicide, suicide, accidental or natural. (CBC)Lander's sister and daughter also testified. They said that they wished police had contacted family during the armed standoff to offer Lander support.
The jury is not there to assign blame. The five women and one man can make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.
The coroner’s counsel, Sheldon Toner, said the jury must classify the death as natural, accidental, homicide or suicide. Toner added that when considering if her death was a suicide, the jury has to weigh factors such as whether Lander intended to kill herself when she walked toward police with a rifle.
Toner said jurors can't make the assumption that Lander intended to kill herself because she had said she wanted to die.
Toner also suggested 12 recommendations which could prevent future deaths. Those include giving income support clients more notice if they are getting their rent reduced after children are apprehended, as well as having a psychiatric nurse working in the emergency room, and more training for the RCMP.
Jurors will consider the recommendations lawyers proposed and make their own.
CBC North's Elizabeth McMillan has been reporting from the inquest. Follow her tweets below.
Share Tools
Latest North News Headlines
- Agnico-Eagle worker found alive after blizzard
- A worker missing from Agnico-Eagle's Meliadine camp near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, was found alive late Thursday night, after weathering a potentially record-breaking blizzard. more »
- Sahtu board issues draft conditions for fracking project
- The Sahtu Land and Water Board has decided not to send a controversial drilling exploration project near Norman Wells, N.W.T., to an environmental assessment. more »
- Iqaluit man faces firearms charges
- David Kunuk, 41, has been charged with careless use of a firearm, improper use of a firearm and resisting arrest. more »
- Whitehorse ski hill could be sustainable, says consultant
- A recreation consultant says Whitehorse's Mount Sima ski hill could be sustainable if operation costs are reduced, but the facility will still need funding from government. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Senator Pamela Wallin leaves Conservative caucus
- Senator Pamela Wallin says she is recusing herself from the Conservative caucus while her travel expense claims are under scrutiny. Wallin's departure comes one day after Senator Mike Duffy left the Tory caucus amid controversy over his expense claims.
more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies crack cocaine allegations
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says allegations he was caught on tape smoking crack are "ridiculous," following reports that someone had been trying to sell a purported recording of such an event to U.S. and Canadian media outlets. more »
- North Korea fires 3 short-range missiles, South Korea says
- A South Korea official says North Korea has launched three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters. more »
- 12 young leaders changing Canada in this week's Generation Why
- If the number of young entrepreneurs and innovators in Canada is any indication, the generation that came of age alongside the modern web is ready to rethink everything. Meet 12 young people our readers nominated as the most dedicated, impressive, creative and intelligent Canadians under the age of 30 they know. more »
- Should genetic testing for cancer be available to all Canadians?
- The revelation that Hollywood celebrity Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy as a preventative measure against cancer stoked heated discussion this past week, but one prominent cancer researcher says it demonstrates the need to make genetic testing available to all Canadians. more »
- Agnico-Eagle worker found alive after blizzard
- Eaglet hatches on Whitehorse nest cam
- Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, digs out from record snowfall
- High Arctic research station saved by new funding
- 5 ways to camp to the max in N.W.T.'s parks
- Sahtu board issues draft conditions for fracking project
- Yukon Electrical launches eagle cam in Whitehorse
- Caribou numbers plummet on Baffin Island: survey
- 2 injured in helicopter crash on Baffin Island

