A coroner’s inquest has made six recommendations related to police involvement in domestic violence cases.
It follows the death of Ryan Nowlan, who was shot and killed by Mounties at his home on Dec. 31, 2021.
Officers responded to the man’s home on the Kingston Peninsula for a report of a domestic disturbance.
Nowlan had allegedly assaulted his live-in partner and threatened to burn down the house if she went to the police, according to an independent report from the Serious Incident Response Team.
She fled the home with one of her two children and drove to the nearby RCMP detachment in Hampton for help.
The two Mounties went inside of the home with the woman to remove her second child and retrieve some clothing from a closet.
When the officers opened the closet door, they were confronted by Nowlan, who was holding a utility knife with the blade extended, said the report.
One of the officers deployed their taser after Nowlan ignored several orders to drop the knife. He “fell to the ground in the closet, rolled around and then stood up with the utility knife still in his hand,” said the report.
SiRT said Nowlan moved toward the first officer, who fired their pistol once and struck him in the shoulder, causing him to move backwards.
Nowlan lunged at one officer and struck them in the face with the utility knife, causing them to fall to the floor. Investigators said Nowlan then began advancing toward the second officer, who shot him in the abdomen.
The suspect was transported to the hospital but died before he even arrived, according to the report. RCMP said the injured officer was treated in the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and later released.
SiRT cleared the two officers of wrongdoing and said there were no grounds for charges as they had “reasonable grounds” to believe that the use of force was necessary.
After hearing from 12 witnesses during the two-day inquest, the five-member jury made the following recommendations:
- There should be more extensive and continual training for law enforcement in regards to domestic violence.
- Ensure all officers involved in a domestic dispute have adequate background knowledge of a suspect before entering the premises.
- People with a history of restraining orders pertaining to domestic violence could be required to receive treatment by a mental health professional.
- When possible, avoid further contact between the victim and perpetrator in domestic disputes.
- Avoid re-entry of potential high-threat areas to retrieve non-vital belongings.
- Victims of domestic violence should have better access to resources.
The recommendations will be forwarded to the appropriate agencies or organizations for consideration and response. The responses will be included in the chief coroner’s annual report for 2023.
Jurors also ruled that Nowlan’s death was a homicide, which is defined in a coroner’s inquest as any case of a person dying by the actions of another.
“It does not imply culpability, which is not within the mandate of the coroner or the jury,” said the Department of Justice and Public Safety.
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