Alberta fatality inquiry judge recommends better gun licence screening
Posted Jan 4, 2016 12:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A fatality inquiry judge is calling for stricter reviews of gun licence applications after a southern Alberta man with a history of mental problems was fatally shot by RCMP.
Corey Lewis, who was 39, was shot outside his Okotoks home on July 2010 after a standoff with a Mountie tactical team.
He was found holding a dark-coloured umbrella that he had pointed at RCMP members, who thought the object was a weapon.
Judge Marlene Graham says she finds it disturbing that Lewis was granted licences for five firearms despite his mental problems, a suicide attempt and a previous emergency protection order.
Graham says having the guns was a key factor in the events that led to his death, and recommends better screening for firearms licence applicants, including a telephone interview with the applicant’s spouse.
She also recommends that police consult with mental-health professionals when dealing with armed people in standoffs to help get them to surrender.
