SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A jury could not determine if Karen Lander's death was a suicide or a homicide and have instead classified it as undetermined, in a verdict released Thursday at the conclusion of a coroner's inquest.
Lander was shot four times by police on March 14, 2012, after a four-hour standoff that ended with her exiting a house on Glick Court while holding a Winchester 1906 .22-calibre pump action rifle. The 42-year-old died later that evening at Stanton Territorial Hospital.
The inquest into her death was held from Feb. 25 until Wednesday with coroner Garth Eggenberger presiding. The purpose of the coroner's inquest is for the jury to determine manner of death - natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined - and provide recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.
In his closing arguments Sheldon Toner, counsel for the coroner, said he expected it would be a difficult task to decide the manner of death.
During the inquest the jury heard that Lander frequently spoke of suicide to her friends and family, and in the negotiation tapes between her and Const. Todd Scaplen, she indicated that she wanted to die. But, Toner wondered if it showed she intended to kill herself on March 14.
He also encouraged the jury to consider whether Lander's decision to walk out of the house with a gun in hand was an act of suicide or a reckless, death-defying call for help.
"It's very difficult to assess," he said.
Chief coroner Cathy Menard also agreed that it can be challenging for juries to decide on the manner of death.
"Coroners are trained in the different manners of death and they can sometimes really struggle with the different manners," Menard said. "It can be difficult, definitely."
Still, the jury was able to identify four significant conditions contributing to Lander's death that weren't casually related to the immediate cause. Those conditions include alcohol abuse, chronic depression, borderline personality disorder and suicidal ideation.
The group of five made 16 recommendations to be considered by the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority (YHSSA), the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), Stanton Territorial Health Authority (STHA), physicians, and the RCMP.
Some of the recommendations include:
- that the YHSSA consult with other organizations to develop a team approach for assisting clients with multiple addictions and mental health issues.
- that the YHSSA implement a community support group specific for people of First Nations and the North suffering from mental health problems, addictions or abuse.
- that the GNWT open a rehab centre for alcohol and drug abuse in Yellowknife.
- that the STHA dedicate full-time psychiatric nurses with the priority of conducting an initial assessment of patients attending the emergency room with suicide-related issues.
- that the RCMP G Division review its equipment and ensure that the division maintains a full range of non-lethal equipment.
- that the RCMP develop policies and procedures to ensure ongoing contact with qualified mental health workers, where available, throughout negotiations with barricaded and potentially armed and suicidal subjects.
The recommendations are not legally binding.
