Emotional testimony was heard at the inquest into the death of Douglas Minty as his mother took the stand in Midhurst.
59-year-old Douglas Minty was shot five times and killed by a police officer outside his home in Elmvale in 2009. Part of a police dispatch call and a 9-1-1 call were played at the inquest on Thursday and the focus was on how the calls were handled, especially given the fact that Minty was developmentally delayed– something the operator was told.
The Minty family’s lawyer says that should have been a red flag for the operator.
“It would have triggered them to engage in different forms of procedures. In fact it would have required them to wait for two officers to attend – things might have unfolded differently if two officers attended instead of one,” says the family lawyer, Julian Roy.
The inquiry heard questions about how well the operator was trained. In her own testimony she said she had asked for more training but never received it. That surprised the family’s lawyer.
“The call taker in this case had virtually no training from her employer, the OPP. And the manner that she took the call, we heard from her supervisor fell below his expectations of what information should have been gathered,” says Roy.
Douglas Minty’s mother also testified on Thursday. She said she saw her son approach the police officer, but maintains the officer continued shooting as her son fell to the ground.
The family hopes this inquiry brings more answers.
“I find it helpful because there are details that we’ve wondered about for five years and now those details are coming out,” says Douglas’ brother Brian Minty.
The inquiry is still in its preliminary stages. Civilian witnesses to the shooting are expected to take the stand when court resumes on May 20th.
