The coroner's inquest into a fatal shooting involving a Delta officer continued this week as the hearing saw video of the victim's final hours in his standoff with police.
The two-hour video was shown Wednesday morning, the second day of the hearing. It was taken from the perspective of a police bomb disposal robot that was used to deliver a phone to Mehrdad Bayrami as he sat on a paved pathway near New Westminster's Starlight Casino.
The 48-year-old Richmond man, who was armed with a gun, was shot on Nov. 8, 2012 following a five-hour standoff with police. Police were called to the casino parking lot after a domestic disturbance in the parking lot between Bayrami and an ex-girlfriend.
Delta police Const.
Jordan MacWilliams, a member of the Municipal Integrated Emergency Response Team at the time, was one of many officers responding to the incident. He was assigned the role of lethal overwatch for his team. He was given the responsibility of providing cover for the other officers and to use necessary force if a threat of death or grievous bodily harm was posed.
MacWilliams has claimed he had a reasonable fear that Bayrami would fire his weapon at police, which prompted him to fire his own weapon. Bayrami died in hospital 10 days later.
MacWilliams was initially charged with second degree murder following an investigation by the Independent Investigations Office. In July, the Criminal Justice Branch announced it was dropping the charges again the officer. A civil suit launched by Bayrami's daughter was also dismissed late last year. The video, which began at 8:41 a.m., almost three hours into the standoff, shows police delivering a yellow box containing a cell phone to Bayrami as he sat on the ground.
The robot moves away but police keep the camera
on Bayrami for more than two hours.
The video, which contains no sound, shows Bayrami, who is sitting on the ground holding a gun to his head, open the box and answer the phone. He speaks with police as he continues to hold the gun to his right temple.
He looks around as he talks on the phone before hanging up and tossing it back in the box.
Bayrami remains seated for most of the video, talking to himself and nodding or shaking his head at times. He answers the phone a few more times, sometimes talking briefly while other times simply hanging up.
Bayrami keeps the gun pointed at himself for most
of the video, although periodically he lowers it, staring at it in his hands.
Almost an hour and 20 minutes into the video, Bayrami can be seen taking the magazine out of the gun and throwing it aside, holding up one finger and nodding. About 10 minutes later, crouching on the ground, he lowers the gun.
Nearing the two-hour mark from the start of the video, Bayrami stands up, turns around and looks up for a moment, before turning back around. He begins pacing and walking in a wide circle with his arms at his side, the gun pointing toward the ground.
Just before the video was stopped, Bayrami can
be seen pointing the gun in the air and talking.
The hearing also heard testimony from Dr. Jeff Morley, a registered psychologist and former RCMP officer who has worked with several law enforcement agencies, including Delta police.
Morley was one of several psychologists on a list to be contacted by police when needed. He said he received a call from a police negotiator just before 7:30 that morning. Morley said the officer told him they were dealing with a man armed with a gun who was refusing to engage with negotiators and indicated that "he was not leaving alive." He said it was a relatively brief call and he encouraged the officer to remain calm and grounded.
MacWilliams was scheduled to take the stand yesterday afternoon.
A coroner's inquest is usually required when a death occurs while a person is in police custody and involves a jury of between five and seven people and a presiding coroner. The inquest is not a trial to determine guilt, or find fault, but to determine the facts surrounding a death and allow the jury to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances.
The hearing is scheduled to continue into next week.
Check out www.deltaoptimist. com for the latest on the inquest.
