Inquest Into The Deaths Of Reyal Jardine-Douglas, Sylvia Klibingaitis And Michael Eligon Announced

• Identification and management of persons who represent a potential risk on the basis of a mental disorder
• Response to potential risks presented by a person armed with an edged weapon

• Dr. Bert Lauwers Deputy Chief Coroner for Inquests 416-314-4000

Reyal Jardine-Douglas, 25; Sylvia Klibingaitis, 52; and Michael Eligon, 29; “all may have been experiencing the effects of a mental disorder at the time of their deaths,” according to a statement from the coroner’s office released on Tuesday.

No date or location has been set for the combined inquest.

The single inquest into the three deaths — in which each of the officers involved was cleared by the Special Investigations Unit — has the potential to bring about major change that saves lives and suffering, defence lawyer Peter Rosenthal told the Star. Rosenthal and lawyer Reni Chang will represent the Eligon family at the inquest.

“What I’m hoping is that there will be some measures put in place that ensure the police really try de-escalation techniques before these individuals get close to the point where fatalities occur,” Rosenthal said.

Anita Szigeti, a Toronto lawyer and mental health advocate, also praised the coroner’s office. She said the joint inquest promised “a really pro-active” examination of police treatment of people with mental health issues.

“I think it will be more than the sum of its parts,” Szigeti said. “I think it’s great.

“It’s a much better way to go than individual inquests would have been.”

Rosenthal said police education regarding treatment of people suffering a mental health crisis seems adequate, but somehow that training isn’t put into practice nearly often enough.

“The examples that you see on the street don’t seem to follow the teachings at all,” Rosenthal said.

The inquest has potential to prevent enormous suffering if it pushes police to develop de-escalation skills, Rosenthal said. “It can’t work all of the time but it can’t possibly work if it’s not seriously attempted.”

Jardine-Douglas, Klibingaitis and Eligon were each carrying household objects perceived as weapons — knives or scissors — when they were shot and killed.

The inquest announcement was made Tuesday by Dr. Bert Lauwers, deputy chief coroner for inquests. Dr. David Eden was appointed inquest coroner, and Michael Blain was assigned to assist as counsel.

Jardine-Douglas died on August 29, 2010, after he fled from a bus when it was pulled over by police. After his death, his family said the Pickering man suffered from mental illness, including paranoia. A knife was recovered at the scene.

Klibingaitis was shot to death on Oct. 7, 2011, in a confrontation with police outside her North York home. Police said at the time that she approached an officer with a knife. She struggled with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychotic delusions.

Eligon, killed Feb. 3, 2012, was a psychiatric patient at Toronto East General Hospital who was found roaming residential streets nearby dressed only in a hospital gown and socks, and carrying scissors.

Councillor Janet Davis (Beaches-East York) said Eligon’s death has mobilized her community to ask for better ways of treating the mentally ill. A group of community members organized and sent a delegation to the Toronto Police Services Board to request specific changes to police procedures after witnessing the fatal shooting.

Davis welcomed the decision to examine all three fatal shootings at once and said she hopes it will “result in some change that will affect the whole system.”

“We should know if it could have been avoided and what could have been done.”

Davis noted that the province has repeatedly refused to fund mobile crisis intervention teams of specially trained police and medical workers in her ward.

The coroner’s office announcement noted that the jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths: “It is expected that, among other matters, the inquest may inquire into such areas as current knowledge, available strategies, police policies, and police training.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1241895–coroner-calls-single-inquest-into-3-police-shootings-of-mentally-ill-people#comments