A coroner’s inquest into the deaths of a man and woman during a police incident in 2019 has been scheduled for next month.
The inquest in the deaths of Nona Marnie McEwan, 45, and Randy E. Crosson, 48, will begin at 9:30 am on April 15, 2024, at the Burnaby Coroners' Court.
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The deaths of McEwan and Crosson were reported to the BC Coroners Service by Surrey RCMP on March 29, 2019.
According to the IIO BC, during the night of March 28 to 29, police were called to a home in Surrey after reports of a man armed with a gun holding a hostage.
The report notes that at one point during the incident, the man, Crosson, was heard threatening to kill the hostage, McEwan.
On the morning of March 29, Emergency Response Team (‘ERT’) members entered the residence and attempted to rescue the hostage. Upon entering, they reportedly found Crosson holding McEwan in front of him with a knife at her neck and what appeared to be a firearm in his other hand.
A number of the officers discharged their firearms at him, and he was killed. However, in the course of this action, McEwan was accidentally struck by two police bullets and died of her injuries.
The IIO BC detailed in their report that a psychologist was of the opinion that he “wanted to die and planned to use the police as his instrument.” Toxicology results showed several substances including methamphetamine, amphetamine, fentanyl, norfentanyl, heroin, ethanol, THC and naloxone.
No criminal charges were forwarded for consideration against the officers.
An inquest is done for any deaths that occur while a person was detained by or in the custody of a police officer and serve to determine the facts surrounding a death.
The inquest will also seek to make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances and ensure that the circumstances around a death are not overlooked, concealed or ignored.
Margaret Janzen, presiding coroner, and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding the deaths of Crosson and McEwan.
The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations, however they will not be making any finding of legal responsibility.
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