Lionel Desmond’s sister wants to know why firearms permit approved despite brother’s mental illness

WARNING: This story contains graphic details that readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.

After having heard from law enforcement, the Lionel Desmond fatality inquiry will shift its focus to the medical staff who last treated and interacted with the Afghanistan war veteran before he shot and killed himself and three members of his family in January 2017.

For the family and those close to the retired corporal, who struggled with PTSD, many questions remain unanswered, like what drove the 33-year-old to kill his wife Shanna, mother Brenda and 10-year-old daughter Aaliyah before killing himself in his inlaws’ home in Upper Big Tracadie.

“It’s been hard, and especially living without the answers as to why they aren’t here,” said Cassandra Desmond, Lionel’s sister and personal representative of his estate. “I guess it also brings us a sense of peace to know that we are here right now and that we will hopefully get those answers to those questions that we have so long seeked.”

The fatality inquiry began Jan. 27 in Guysborough, N.S., and heard testimony from members of the police, including members of the RCMP Guysborough detachment and other federal police officers from the forensic and major crime divisions who were on the scene of the tragic triple murder-suicide.

Week 2 will pivot to focusing on testimonies from key witnesses from the medical field, including psychiatrists Dr. Faisal Rahman and Dr. Ian Slater, who worked along with other health specialists in treating Desmond’s PTSD and depression.

“One of our terms of reference relates specifically to the treatment he (Desmond) received at St. Martha’s hospital in the early days of January 2017,” said Allen Murray, lead counsel with the inquiry. “And so the doctors and nurses that saw him there will be testifying about their interactions with him.”

Desmond’s mental health struggles date back years to when he was medically discharged from the Armed Forces in 2015.

Adam Rogers, the lawyer for Desmond’s estate, says the solider suffered three concussions while serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

His diagnosis of PTSD in 2011 led to many struggles with mental health issues. Testimony from RCMP Staff Sgt. Addie MacCallum described Desmond having a manic episode on Nov. 18, 2015, when his wife Shanna called police and said Lionel was off his medications.

Further testimony revealed Desmond couldn’t sleep and was having recurring nightmares that his wife was cheating on him.

MacCallum said he visited Desmond that night and that Desmond told him he had made plans to see a doctor. Desmond’s firearms were seized nine days later, the inquiry heard.

A focal point for Desmond’s sister Cassandra and the family was in February 2016, when a medical assessment received by the New Brunswick firearms office signed by Dr. Paul Smith, a doctor with extensive experience in treating PTSD, indicated that Desmond didn’t pose a safety risk to himself and others and so his firearms licence was reinstated.

Cassandra Desmond wants to know why a gun licence was given to her brother when he was mentally ill at the time.

The inquiry will resume Monday in Guysborough.