A coroner’s inquest in November will look into the death of a man who shot himself at the same time as police officers shot him at a Nanaimo ferry terminal in 2018.
An inquest looking into the death of Jer Wood, also known as Jerry Robert Smallwood, will begin on Nov. 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Nanaimo Law Courts.
Wood died on May 8, 2018. At the time of his death, he was wanted in connection with two incidents in the Okanagan: a violent car-jacking in Penticton and a shooting that wounded a man in Summerland.
Before he drove off the ferry at the Departure Bay terminal, B.C. Ferries staff told police the vehicle was on board and arranged for traffic behind the car to be held back.
Police positioned themselves to intercept the car as he disembarked, using unmarked police vehicles to box him in. Witnesses reported seeing officers get out of their vehicles and draw their firearms.
Wood reached over to the passenger seat of the car, raised a long-barrel handgun and fatally shot himself, according to a report by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C., which in October 2018 cleared officers involved of wrongdoing.
As Wood raised the gun, two officers also fired.
“Once stopped, the evidence is clear that [Wood], while surrounded by police, raised his gun and shot himself in the head,” wrote Ron MacDonald, the IIO’s chief civilian director at the time. “That was his only intention. However, as he did this, the gun would have been pointed at several police officers.”
Paramedics staged nearby performed CPR on Wood and he was taken to Nanaimo Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.
Three civilian witnesses not involved with the incident at the ferry terminal told the IIO that the man told them by phone that he had “wasted somebody” and had stolen a car. He also said more than once: “I’m not going to jail. The police are going to have to shoot me.”
Another witness told the IIO that the man showed them a firearm about a month before the incident. The description matched the gun found at the scene.
Witnesses who knew the man said he had serious life challenges, including an injury that prevented him from working and a serious substance addiction.
Coroner’s inquests are mandatory for any deaths that occur while a person is detained by or in the custody of a peace officer.
Inquests seek to determine the facts related to a death, to make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances and to ensure public confidence that the circumstances surrounding a death will not be overlooked.
Presiding coroner Larry Marzinzik and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath. The jury can make recommendations but cannot make a finding of fault.
The inquest is open to the public and will be livestreamed.
