Witness testimony wraps up in Ryan Booker death inquest
The inquest for a Moose Jaw man who died in a fatal police shooting in 2022 is approaching its conclusion – as the jury finished hearing from all 15 witnesses Wednesday morning.
Ryan Booker, 26, died on July 17, 2022, after police responded to reports of a man with a gun in a Superstore parking lot in Moose Jaw.
Police reported Booker fled the city before pulling over to Highway 1 near Belle Plaine. After a six-hour standoff, Booker was fatally shot by police after reportedly pointing a gun at officers.
Cst. Burton Steele, a former emergency response member for the Saskatchewan RCMP, fired the fatal shot that killed Booker.
During his testimony on Tuesday, Steele told the jury that RCMP officers are advised to use their own discretion when firing their weapons.
He testifying that members can act if they, 'fear bodily harm or death' for themselves, nearby officers, or members of the public.
Although the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) was originally in charge of the operation, the shift of authority transpired once the altercation moved outside of city limits – leaving RCMP Supt. Andrew Farquhar in command of the operation.
Farquhar told the jury he volunteered to be the 'critical incident commander' during the operation - a standard protocol for police on the scene of any emergency setting.
When asked by the inquest counsel if using 'less lethal weapons' to contain Booker was an option, Farquhar said he took all suggestions from frontline officers into consideration.
'My role is to listen to all of my subject matter experts, apply risk assessment to what they are saying or what they're asking, and take all that information to my investigators,' he told the jury.
'They advised me [Booker] was closure motivated … I believe we were getting to an area where he was contemplating committing suicide, and I did not want to push him over.'
He added that officers were 'beyond range' to effectively use their less-lethal weapons. Furthermore, Farquhar said the less-lethal option would have attracted more consideration if police were able to separate Booker from his firearm.
On Tuesday, police testimony revealed that Booker's firearm was not loaded - with officers discovering this following the shooting.
Jury members were sequestered early Wednesday afternoon.
They will return once a verdict has been reached by majority, on the cause for death of Booker has been determined, along with recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future.
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