REGINA – The public inquest in to the death of 42 year-old Gerald Lord has come to an end.
Lord was shot and killed in his Holdfast home by an RCMP officer on September 11, 2013.
READ MORE: Public inquiry begins into death of 42-year-old Holdfast man, killed by RCMP.
Six jurors heard testimony from a dozen witnesses detailing what took place, and after three days all the jury needed was just a few hours of deliberation.
They came back with a list of four recommendations for the RCMP on how they can avoid repeating what happened to Gerald Lord.
- If a rural RCMP officer is attending to a situation with the intent to arrest a suspect, they should be required to wait and call for backup before entering a situation or making an arrest.
- The RCMP review the design of the CEW (taser) used, to determine a more effective use in close quarters.
- The RCMP review the effectiveness of each tool on an officer’s belt in a close quarter, hand to hand situation.
- The RCMP make a review of training procedures for hand to hand combat in close quarters
The jury also determined that while Lord was shot by Constable Eric four times, it was the wounds to his upper chest and head that killed him.
READ MORE: Day two of public inquest into police shooting death of Gerald Lord in Holdfast home
READ MORE: Day three of public inquest into police shooting death of Gerald Lord hears autopsy testimony
“This preceding isn’t concerned in any way with criminal or civil liability. it’s just there to define the facts,” Coroner’s Counsel Neil Robertson explained.
The Lord family was not present to hear those facts, neither was any counsel on their behalf.
“I did take that into consideration in the questions that I asked,” Robertson said.
The RCMP haven’t said whether they will be implementing the recommendations.
However, they said they received, and are currently reviewing the four recommendations.
READ MORE: Two years later: Questions remain after Sask. man shot, killed by RCMP
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