On Wednesday, Rick and Barbara Lord told the story of their son, Gerald, and the account the RCMP gave them about what happened before he was shot and killed by an officer. In Part 2 of this story, Global News explains how this investigation could have played out in other provinces when police are the ones pulling the trigger.
PART ONE: Two years later: Questions remain after Sask. man shot, killed by RCMP
REGINA – When an RCMP officer first showed up at a Holdfast, Saskatchewan home the night of September 11, 2013, he likely didn’t think he’d end up being under investigation himself.
But that Mountie shot and killed the man inside.
When this happens in Saskatchewan, the Ministry of Justice appoints a different police agency to observe the investigation, which then reports back to the government.
However, those details rarely ever reach the public.
“That police department is going to be, in some way, influenced by the fact they’re investigating another set of colleagues,” said Robert Gordon, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University. “We assume the police want to be tight-lipped. We should take that opportunity away from them.”
In the Holdfast case, both the RCMP and the observing Regina Police Service went silent. They still won’t provide names or any account of what happened, though the officer was ultimately found to have been justified in his actions.
Global News learned the victim was Gerald Lord, 42; his parents now live in Collingwood, Ontario.
Even Rick and Barbara Lord say they had to wait 18 months for some kind of explanation.
“It took virtually nothing for (Barbara) to break down into tears,” Rick said, recalling the family’s biggest frustration during that time: “Why don’t they tell us something?”
Eventually, the Lords say RCMP provided a version of what happened the night Gerald was shot. They say they were told the officer was alone responding to a disturbance, that a struggle ensued when he attempted to arrest Gerald, and that he tried and failed to use his Taser to subdue him.
They were told the officer ended up shooting Gerald four times, killing him instantly.
Public oversight
In different jurisdictions, this information will actually see the light of day. Five other provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia) have established independent, arms-length agencies that act as police watchdogs.
“It’s not good enough anymore … to just say, ‘I’ve looked at it, it’s all good, trust me.’ “
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) gets the call any time officers in that province are alleged to have seriously injured or killed someone.
“It’s not good enough anymore … to just say, ‘I’ve looked at it, it’s all good, trust me,’ ” said Sue Hughson, ASIRT’s civilian executive director.
ASIRT’s case load has increased nearly every year since being established in 2008. Likely more than 60 investigations will be launched and publicly reported in 2015.
“It’s not that the public shouldn’t trust,” Hughson said. “But if they understand circumstances surrounding an incident, they’ll be better able to understand why the decisions are made.”
No ‘outside set of eyes’
Saskatchewan does have a Public Complaints Commission, established in 2006 as a result of high-profile cases, including so-called Starlight Tours.
But not once in the last eight years has the PCC been asked to look into a case involving police injuring or killing someone, a government spokesperson confirms.
WATCH BELOW: The Lord family shares Gerald’s story, seeks investigative transparency
Outside Saskatchewan, Gordon suggests, police agencies have actually embraced an independent investigative body as an “outside set of eyes,” saying it can help develop trust.
“For those jurisdictions that don’t have this kind of model, get busy and introduce it.”
Until they do, Rick and Barbara Lord continue to question the RCMP’s version of events – what brought police to Gerald’s home, what led to a lone officer shooting and killing their son and how his actions could have been entirely justified.
“Why, why, why? It’s something they can’t answer.”
The Lords hope some answers may come from a coroner’s inquest they’ve been told will happen. For any specific details, the RCMP has only told Global News to make a special Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) request, which has been done – but the process is expected to take several months.
Comments