A coroner’s inquest into the death of a northern Saskatchean man heard yesterday that the RCMP officer who fatally shot Harry Haineault four years ago had no evidence of pepper spray on his clothing after the altercation.
Cst. Jamie Grant says he tried using both his baton and pepper spray on Haineault before shooting him in the chest in a scuffle on the Clearwater River Dene Nation on Sept. 2, 2008.
Grant had been attempting to issue a warrant for Haineault’s arrest prior to a foot chase and struggle.
RCMP toxicologist Jennifer Finlay told the six-person jury no discernible evidence of pepper spray was found on Grant’s clothes including a pair of leather gloves he was wearing at the time of the shooting.
However, fearing he may have come into contact with blood infected with hepatitis C as a result of his scuffle with Haineault, the RCMP officer has admitted to cleaning his gloves with hand sanitizer immediately following the shooting.
Finlay testified that the use of an alcohol-based sanitizer would have severely limited the ability to detect pepper spray on Grant’s gloves.
The inquest also heard yesterday that the level of alcohol in Haineault’s system was more than three times the legal limit to drive prior to being fatally shot.
Finlay stated that the level of alcohol in Haineault’s system at the time of the shooting would have significantly impaired mental processes and could have led to increased risk-taking behaviour and a greater threshold to withstand pain.
Testimony wrapped up this morning with an RCMP firearms specialist testifying that Grant should have stopped chasing Haineault after dropping his radio and losing contact with his partner.
Meanwhile, Walter Haineault says his brother had just started to turn his life around at the time of the shooting, and he wants to know how an unarmed man who was not wanted by police for any serious crimes ended up dying in such a tragic way.
He says he can’t go home without knowing whether the shooting was justified.
The coroner’s jury was at last word deliberating on several possible recommendations to prevent similar deaths.