‘They brought a tank, that’s pretty scary,’ coroner’s inquest told (2024)

Inquest into the deaths of a Surrey couple killed by police during a hostage-taking in Whalley on March 29, 2019 opened April 16

A coroner’s inquest into the deaths of a Surrey couple killed by police during a hostage-taking in Whalley in 2019 opened April 16 in Burnaby with a written statement from the son of Randy E. Crosson, one of the deceased.

“My dad had a hard life and didn’t have the opportunities to get better and to get clean,” he told the inquest. “What you are about to hear is about a man on drugs, struggling with life. But this was not my dad. My dad was a loving, caring person who loved all us kids. I’m sorry for what he has done with life, but hopefully today we can learn from this. I love my dad and Nona both the same.”

“So my hope today is for a little understanding, and hopefully today we as a family can get some closure for our future.”

The inquest is at Coroners’ Court, on the 20th floor of Metrotower II, with coroner Margaret Janzen presiding. She and a jury are hearing evidence from witnesses under oath. The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circ*mstances but not any finding of legal responsibility.

A Surrey-based police watchdog — the Independent Investigations Team — in 2020 found the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team 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 “what appeared to be” a gun in his hand.

Forensic police later found a “realistic-looking” replica pistol between the bed and the wall. Crosson was pronounced dead at the scene and McEwan died in hospital.

READ ALSO: Coroner’s inquest set for 2019 Surrey police-standoff shooting deaths

READ ALSO: Police watchdog finds cops blameless for deaths in 2019 Surrey hostage-taking

READ ALSO: Surrey mom killed in hostage-taking remembered as ‘loving, sweet and kind hearted’

Brandon McEwan, Nona McEwan’s son, told the coroner and jury “it’s kind of hard to talk about her,” wiping away tears. “She was awesome.”

“She was a great person, a great friend,” he said. “She was a great mother.”

He phoned 911, telling police Crosson was believed to have a gun and his mom wasn’t safe. “They brought a tank, that’s pretty scary.”

McEwan was asked if he recalled how things ended. “sh*tty,” he replied.

“These guys are supposed to be trained professionals and it didn’t seem that professional in my eyes,” he told the jury.

Crosson’s probation officer Rob Ryhorchuk testified he was assigned to his case in 2015 after Crosson was convicted of robbery. Crosson’s criminal history began in 1996, primarily involving break-ins, theft, assault, carrying a weapon and numerous convictions for failing to comply with court orders.

In 2003, he was convicted of assaulting McEwan and released on probation. “His explanation of the offence to his supervising probation officer at that point was that he threw a sandwich.”

He was ordered not to have contact with her or her family for one year. “I believe Mr. Crosson attended Ms. McEwan’s residence and threatened her father, her mother and herself saying he was going to burn their house down.” He was convicted of uttering threats and breach of probation. “I believe there was another two-year probation order,” Ryhorchuk told the inquest.

Ryhorchuk said probation officers typically deal with 55 to 60 clients at any given time. The inquest heard Crosson was diagnosed as bipolar and “had a history of non-compliance in terms of taking his medication. He actually had his parole revoked because he failed to attend any mental health services in the community after being directed so by his probation officer. When I met with him he indicated to me that upon his release he was having issues accesssing medication.”

The IIO concluded McEwan died because of Crosson’s actions, as he held her against her will in her home, threatened her life “and provoked an armed response from the police aimed at saving her.” His actions, the IIO’s chief civilian director Ron MacDonald said, “made 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.”

Accordingly, he found, “I 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.”

The IIO operates out of Bing Thom’s Central City tower in Whalley and reports to B.C.’s attorney general.

MacDonald noted his report was based, in part, on the statements of 25 “civilian” 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 continued after Now-Leader press time and is expected to run for two weeks.

‘They brought a tank, that’s pretty scary,’ coroner’s inquest told (2024)

FAQs

What is the conclusion of a coroner inquest? ›

At the end of the inquest, the Coroner will then give their conclusion. All the Coroner's findings are made on the evidence heard during the hearing and are made on the basis that it is more likely than not that they happened.

What is a pre-inquest review? ›

A pre-inquest review is a meeting held in court to discuss the details for the inquest, like which witnesses will be called and when the final hearing will be. A documentary inquest only looks at evidence on paper.

What happens after a narrative verdict? ›

Sometimes a coroner uses a longer sentence describing the circ*mstances of the death, which is called a narrative verdict. The coroner may report the death to any appropriate person or authority, such as the Health and Safety Executive if action is needed to prevent more deaths in similar circ*mstances.

What is the process of the coroner? ›

Coroners are independent judicial officers who investigate deaths reported to them. They will make whatever inquiries are necessary to find out the cause of death, this includes ordering a post-mortem examination, obtaining witness statements and medical records, or holding an inquest.

What is the verdict of the coroner's inquest? ›

Verdicts / Conclusions

The Coroner does not declare a verdict but makes a 'findings of fact' about who the deceased was, when and where they died and the medical cause of their death.

What is the full meaning of inquest? ›

inquest. noun. in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest. : a judicial or official inquiry especially before a jury to determine the cause of a violent or unexpected death. a coroner's inquest.

What is a read-only inquest? ›

This means that no one else needs to attend the inquest. The coroner will usually obtain medical reports before the read only inquest occurs and will consider these beforehand. Often, inquests involving deaths due to industrial disease are much less formal.

What does PIR mean in court? ›

Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing (PIR) is a law that gives prosecutors the ability to evaluate past cases and their respective sentences. PIR does not question the appropriateness of original sentencing decisions.

How long does it take for coroners to report in the UK? ›

If the cause of death is not immediately ascertained and histology and/or toxicology samples have been retained for further analysis we would again expect the report within 6-12 weeks of the post-mortem examination unless there has been a specialist examination.

What does a coroner do with dead bodies? ›

Photography of the deceased and/or the scene where death occurred. Autopsy of the body of the deceased. Toxicology testing of the deceased. Collecting and holding any personal property from (or about) the deceased person.

What does misadventure mean in an inquest? ›

In situations labelled as a “death by misadventure,” the deceased is understood to have voluntarily undertaken some sort of risk that led to their untimely end—a fact that distinguishes this term from a ruling like “accidental death.”

What does narrative mean in a coroners report? ›

'Narrative' verdicts can be used by a coroner or jury, instead of a short form verdict, to express their conclusions as to the cause of death following an inquest.

How long does a body stay at the coroner's? ›

A. This depends upon the time it takes to examine a body (or do an autopsy) and take physical evidence. Even if a cause and manner of death is pending, most bodies are able to be released within 24 hours to 48 hours of examination to the funeral home chosen by the family.

How much power does a coroner have? ›

The Coroner is a public official who is empowered to conduct inquests into the cause or manner of a person's death and to determine the identity of a person who has been found dead. The Coroner has a number of powers related to the investigation of deaths, the issuing of subpoenas and the conduct of autopsies.

How does the coroner determine the cause of death? ›

Medicolegal autopsies are performed for several reasons: 1) to establish the cause of death when no reasonable diagnosis can be made from recent medical history, physical examination and/or circ*mstances surrounding the death; 2) to document internal injuries as well as external injuries; 3) to collect medical evidence ...

What is the narrative conclusion? ›

Where a short form conclusion is not enough, the coroner or jury will outline more descriptive factual findings in a narrative conclusion. These can be anything from one or two sentences in length to a longer paragraph.

What is the meaning of inquest testimony? ›

An inquest is basically a judicial inquiry. Normally, a coroner and/or jury requests an inquest regarding the cause of the death of an individual who was just killed or suddenly died under mysterious or other suspicious circ*mstances, including but not limited to prison.

What did inquest do? ›

An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith.

How do you use coroner's inquest in a sentence? ›

At the coroner's inquest, it emerged that everyone around me had either died or lost limbs. There's a coroner's inquest taking place at the moment. A coroner's inquest will be convened at a later date. A full coroner's inquest is due later this year.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Laurine Ryan

Last Updated:

Views: 6478

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (57 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Laurine Ryan

Birthday: 1994-12-23

Address: Suite 751 871 Lissette Throughway, West Kittie, NH 41603

Phone: +2366831109631

Job: Sales Producer

Hobby: Creative writing, Motor sports, Do it yourself, Skateboarding, Coffee roasting, Calligraphy, Stand-up comedy

Introduction: My name is Laurine Ryan, I am a adorable, fair, graceful, spotless, gorgeous, homely, cooperative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.