New details emerged Monday at an inquest into the death of a schizophrenic Ojibway man shot dead by Toronto police in 2008.

Byron Debassige, 28, was shot in the chest during a confrontation with police in Oriole Park, near the Davisville subway station. Police were responding to a report of an armed robbery at a nearby food market.

Officers found Debassige in the park drunk, singing and wielding a knife, shortly after he stole lemons from a store on Yonge Street.

Speaking at the inquest on Monday, a toxicologist testified that if Debassige had been driving, he would have had three times the legal amount of alcohol in system.

For his height and weight, she estimated he had consumed about 11 drinks.

The five-member inquest jury also heard details about what happened before Debassige was shot by police.

Storeowner Yoon Su, speaking through a translator, testified he followed Debassige after he stole lemons from the store.

Debassige walked unsteadily, Su said, and was behaving abnormally but didn't smell of alcohol. Su testified Debassige pulled out a carton of juice from his coat and tried to hit Su with it.

When Su threatened to call police, Debassige pulled out a knife and made stabbing motions in the air before walking away.

Officers later found him in the park and shot him after they say he threatened them with the knife.

Police are expected to testify on Tuesday.

Family seeks answers

Debassige's family hopes the inquest will shed light on why Toronto police fatally shot him more than two years ago.

His half-sister Angie Assinewe hopes the inquest will delve into why police couldn't find a better way to confront her brother.

"Don't the cops use batons anymore?" she asked. "Taser gun? [Or] shoot him in the leg? Why did they have to shoot him in the chest?"

Assinewe also wants the inquest to look into the lack of services available to aboriginal people with mental illness.

Lawyer Barry Swadron will represent the family at the inquest.

"I am hoping that this inquest will, for once, send a message to the police that they should have better training on crisis management," he said.

In June 2008, the Special Investigations Unit concluded Toronto police acted properly, saying that Debassige had approached the officers in a "threatening" manner. The SIU is called in to investigate any incident in which a member of the public is seriously injured or killed by police.

In a written release, SIU investigators said Debassige "reached into his pocket, pulled out a knife with a three-inch blade and pointed it towards them."

Debassige refused repeated calls to drop the weapon and came toward the officers "while wielding the knife in a threatening posture," said the release.