RCMP shooting was death by suicide: jury
Last Updated: Friday, November 6, 2009 | 5:54 PM CT Comments35Recommend17.
CBC News
Kenneth Chase Wilfred Standingready-McKay, seen in a photo published with his online obituary, was shot twice about 200 metres from his home. A coroner's jury in Saskatchewan says the shooting death of a man by RCMP officers responding to a domestic dispute was a form of suicide.

The jury's conclusion came Friday, after five days of hearing evidence about what happened June 14, 2008, on the White Bear First Nation, southeast of Regina.

Chase McKay, 21, had been drinking and arguing with his common law wife. At one point he threatened to harm himself.

When police arrived, McKay had already left his home with a knife. According to testimony at the inquest, two officers caught up to him about 200 metres to the east.

RCMP Const. Glenn Walter told the inquest that his partner, Const. Christ Hanson, repeatedly ordered McKay to drop the knife.

McKay failed to comply and started moving forward. At that point, officer Hanson fired his gun twice.

McKay was hit in the heart and abdomen and died instantly.

The jury's findings said McKay died of the gunshot wounds, but the jury added that it was a suicide, with alcohol a contributing factor. It did not elaborate on those findings.

The jury made four recommendations, including that domestic disputes be assessed by police to determine whether an intervention is necessary, and that police should call on a mental health adviser in some domestic disputes.

The jury also said officers should have Taser stun guns, or what police call conducted energy weapons, on hand.

And it said all RCMP detachments should have a canine unit available to members and that a police dog should be used for all domestic disturbance calls.