(March 7, 2025, 1:45p.m.)
The inquest into the death of 28-year old Dillon McDonald has wrapped up with the coroners jury making two recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths in the future.
The first recommendation was that the RCMP continue to enhance the number of of First Nations RCMP members at all levels, in line with the Truth and Reconciliation recommendations.
Second, they recommended that the RCMP continue to provide training in First Nations cultural diversity and related areas.
The inquest began on Monday and wrapped up on Wednesday.
(March 3, 2025. 3:42p.m.)
Day one of the inquest into the death of Dillon McDonald is underway in Prince Albert this week. The inquest kicked off with an opening prayer by Senator Nolan Henderson of Montreal Lake Cree Nation (MLCN).
McDonald turned 28 years old just four days before he passed away on MLCN on December 14, 2021.
(Photo: Dillon McDonald, taken from obituary at tributearchive.com)
He was out on bail and breached his bail conditions, which stated that he had to live with his sister in Stanley Mission and follow a curfew; he could not drink or do drugs; he could not be in possession of a firearm or dangerous weapons; and he couldn’t come within five kilometres of the MLCN boundary.
At the inquest, McDonald’s father, Dirk McDonald, took the witness stand.
Dirk stated that on the 14th of December in 2021, he dropped off his daughter for soccer and came home to find Dillon in his house. He stated that Dillon was acting very strangely and noticed a half-empty bottle of whisky on the table. He said that Dillon was upset and crying while talking to himself or an imaginary person.
Dillon lived with his father at his house in MLCN prior to being banned from the community while on bail. When Dirk asked what Dillon was doing at the house, Dillon told him that he hid in someone’s trunk to get past the security checkpoint on the reserve and that he just wanted to be at home.
Dirk stated that he noticed knives, toilet paper, and a lighter on the floor of the home and that Dillon stated he was going to burn the house down. Dirk also saw Dillon pull out a sawed-off shotgun and place it back down.
Dirk said he tried to calm Dillon down by telling him to think about his daughter and loved ones and told him that he was leaving the house but would come back later that day.
Dirk left the house at around 4:30p.m. and went to the RCMP detachment in MLCN, but there were no RCMP cruisers at the building, so he called MLCN security and informed them about the situation. Security called the RCMP, who then went to the house.
Dillon had barricaded himself in the house, and smoke was seen billowing out of a window that he broke earlier that day.
The RCMP’s Emergency Response Team requested Dillon to exit the home, and when he eventually did, he appeared to have the sawed-off shotgun in his hand. Dillon was allegedly cursing and arguing with officers while they requested he drop the weapon. Dillon allegedly looked like he was about to aim at officers, and the Mounties fired shots at Dillon, striking him twice at approximately 10:40 p.m.
Dillon was taken into the care of paramedics who were rushing him to the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, but he was declared deceased along the way.
Dirk stated that he didn’t find out about his son’s passing until he received a call from MLCN leadership at roughly 11:30 p.m.
The inquest will continue at the Court of Kings Bench in Prince Albert until Thursday. A coroner’s jury will continue to hear evidence from 13 witnesses throughout the next few days and potentially name recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths from happening in the future.