A young woman who lived downstairs in a Whalley home rented by Nona McEwan told a coronerB次元官网网址檚 inquest Tuesday that the shooting victimB次元官网网址檚 boyfriend Randy Crosson, who was also shot dead by police, B次元官网网址渨asnB次元官网网址檛 a nice person.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淗e terrorized me, quite frankly.B次元官网网址�
She told the inquest Crosson B次元官网网址渨as always yelling and he was up all night-doing weird things.B次元官网网址�
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 CoronersB次元官网网址� Court, on the 20th floor of Metrotower II, with Coroner Margaret Janzen presiding.
A Surrey-based police watchdog B次元官网网址� the Independent Investigations Office B次元官网网址� in 2020 found the RCMPB次元官网网址檚 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 B次元官网网址渨hat appeared to beB次元官网网址� a gun in his hand. Forensic police later found a B次元官网网址渞ealistic-lookingB次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a helicopter at your house, are you OK?B次元官网网址� but she wasnB次元官网网址檛 home at the time.
B次元官网网址淚 really liked Nona,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪he was firstly very kind and she was extremely caring to everyone that was in her lifeB次元官网网址 saw her as a motherly figure, she really cared about all of our well-being.B次元官网网址�
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 B次元官网网址渄idnB次元官网网址檛 seem realisticB次元官网网址� but police later found on their database an outstanding warrant for CrossonB次元官网网址檚 arrest.
B次元官网网址淩andy is known to have guns and use them, albeit on birds.B次元官网网址�
Payete said police tried to phone into the house, but the calls werenB次元官网网址檛 answered.
B次元官网网址淭here was no noise from the house at all,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淐omplete silence.B次元官网网址�
They then used the public address system on a police vehicle. Still no response from within the house, the police then B次元官网网址渂angedB次元官网网址� on the side of the house. B次元官网网址淭here was a real possibility there was nobody inside.B次元官网网址�
Because of the report about a gun, and possible gunshot heard, the ERT was called in, Payette said, and they B次元官网网址渁rrive in waves,B次元官网网址� with negotiators in tow. By this time roughly 90 minutes had passed.
Asked if thereB次元官网网址檚 anything he thinks could have been done differently, resulting in a different outcome, Payette said he was spent B次元官网网址渃onsiderableB次元官网网址� time pondering that question over the past five years. B次元官网网址淭his was obviously one of the more difficult nights in my career and IB次元官网网址檓 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 incidentB次元官网网址� related to the possible gunshot or scream.
The IIO concluded McEwan died because of CrossonB次元官网网址檚 actions, as he held her against her will in her home, threatened her life, B次元官网网址渁nd provoked an armed response from the police aimed at saving her.B次元官网网址� His actions, the IIOB次元官网网址檚 Chief Civilian Director Ron MacDonald said, B次元官网网址渕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.B次元官网网址�
Accordingly, he found, B次元官网网址淚 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.B次元官网网址�
The IIO operates out of Bing ThomB次元官网网址檚 Central City tower in Whalley and reports to B.C.B次元官网网址檚 attorney general.
MacDonald noted his report was based, in part, on the statements of 25 B次元官网网址渃ivilianB次元官网网址� 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.
