A coroner’s inquest into the death of a northern man wrapped up yesterday with the jury recommending RCMP undergo increased police training in risk assessment and analysis in order to avoid similar situations in the future.
Harry Haineault was fatally shot by RCMP Constable Jamie Grant on the Clearwater River Dene Nation on Sept. 2, 2008.
Grant had been attempting to issue a warrant for Haineault’s arrest when the 38-year-old northern man fled.
A chase across the reserve eventually resulted in a physical struggle before the officer ended up discharging his revolver.
Questions remain as to whether the lone officer should have pursued Haineault into a wooded area, losing contact with his partner after dropping his radio in the chase.
Haineault was not wanted for any serious crimes at the time and was unarmed.
Marcus Davies, the lawyer for the Haineault family, said he agrees with the jury’s recommendations saying if police had used greater caution and discretion on the night in question Haineault’s death may have been avoided:
“What the jury recognized with that recommendation is that there be on-going risk-assessment training within the RCMP. There were decisions made on the night Harry Haineault died that may have been made differently in risk-assessment if the officers had superior risk-assessment training.”
Although not legally bound by the jury’s recommendations, RCMP media relations officer Sgt. Paul Dawson said they will be studied and taken into serious consideration.
“The recommendations go on to our criminal operations branch and where those recommendations will be studied and we’ll see if there’s a way to implement them.”
The coroner’s inquest took place in Meadow Lake.