Three key RCMP officers involved in coordinating the response to the Nova Scotia mass shooting will not testify in person to the public investigation into the tragedy.
Officials, through their union and the federal government, had called for alternative ways to testify before the commission examining the April 18 and 19, 2020 massacres.
The National Police Federation (NPF) and the Attorney General of Canada had requested that the sgt. Andy O’Brien and the sergeant. Brian Rehill provides his evidence by affidavit and that the sergeant. Al Carroll testifies in person, but only asks questions to the commission’s lawyer.
The Commission of Massive Victims leading the investigation released its response to those requests on Tuesday, ruling that Rehill and O’Brien will testify in pre-recorded video interviews on May 30 and 31.
Only the commission’s lawyers, or the commissioners themselves, will ask direct questions to the officers. Lawyers for the victims’ families can ask questions.
Carroll will testify live on Thursday via Zoom and may be questioned by all attorneys.
The mass shooting was obviously traumatic and difficult for anyone involved, Michael Scott, a Patterson Law attorney, recently told CBC’s Mainstreet.
Scott’s company represents more than a dozen families of the victims of the shooting.
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Scott said his clients’ concern is that the process of hosting the investigation is not being used in good faith, but to “obstruct” witness evidence and isolate the RCMP and other agencies from embarrassing information.
“This, obviously, in our opinion, is totally contrary to the reason we’re here. We’re here to get to the truth, whether it’s comfortable or uncomfortable,” Scott said.
The investigation has already heard that Rehill, who was the on-call risk manager at Bible Hill’s Operations Communications Center (OCC) on the night of April 18, 2020, was in charge of the early hours of the mass shooting until the staff sergeant. Jeff West took over as critical incident commander after 1 a.m. on April 19.
Rehill was in constant contact with 911 dispatchers, spoke directly with witnesses such as Kate MacDonald whom the gunman had shot, and made the first decisions about setting up the containment and where the first agents should go. they replied.
O’Brien was Colchester County’s non-commissioned officer (OPS NCO) at the time and helped coordinate the early response from home.
Twenty-two people died on April 18 and 19, 2020. Top row from left: Gina Goulet, Dawn Gulenchyn, Jolene Oliver, Frank Gulenchyn, Sean McLeod, Alanna Jenkins. Second row: John Zahl, Lisa McCully, Joey Webber, Heidi Stevenson, Heather O’Brien and Jamie Blair. Third row from above: Kristen Beaton, Lillian Campbell, Joanne Thomas, Peter Bond, Tom Bagley and Greg Blair. Bottom row: Emily Tuck, Joy Bond, Corrie Ellison and Aaron Tuck. (CBC)
Carroll worked with fellow sergeants Addie MacCallum and Steve Halliday on the Bible Hill detachment in the afternoon of April 18 before moving to the makeshift command post in Great Village in the early hours of April 19.
Video interviews strike the right balance
“We have focused on what we believe is the right balance that allows the public to hear and understand this evidence in a meaningful way while minimizing potential harm to witnesses,” says the decision of the Mass Victims Commission.
Given the health information of the officers, which is private, the commission’s lawyers said it would allow them to testify “in a way that reduces the stress and time pressure that comes from the oral statement in the proceedings in direct “will facilitate your answers and provide” better evidence “. . “
Scott said the mechanism for requesting accommodation is not unusual: in court cases, witnesses may have the option to testify behind a screen or with a support person.
But, he said the requests made by the Attorney General and MFN on behalf of these agents are really restrictions.
Michael Scott is a lawyer for Patterson Law, a law firm representing more than a dozen families of Portapique victims. (CBC)
Although Scott said participants’ counselors like him and his Patterson colleagues “technically” have a voice in the accommodation process and can send their comments on certain requests, they have no idea why. what each one was asked for, so it’s hard to tell if they are or not. reasonable.
Scott said the approved setup for Rehill and O’Brien, where officers are only questioned by commission attorneys with input from family participants, is not acceptable.
“If that’s the way we’re going to deal with these witnesses, it really doesn’t make sense to call them at all,” Scott said.
“The evidence is unproven … it’s largely a fruitless process.”
He added that this approach, compared to the hours spent on technical testimony and testing of other people who did not hold command positions, undermines the credibility of the investigation.
Scott said that while he knew the material would be difficult to enter into the investigation, he “would never have expected” that the biggest challenge would be to try to get the job done, such as struggling to hear witnesses.
When asked about the decision to house the agents, an NPF spokesman said on Tuesday that the union “will not make any public comment on legal issues”.
The investigation resumes on Wednesday in Truro.