Inquest opened into death of Tla-o-qui-aht man killed by Tofino RCMP

The BC Coroners Service (BCCS) has opened an inquest into the death of 28-year-old Tla-o-qui-aht man Julian Jones, who was shot and killed by a Tofino RCMP officer. 

Jones was killed in an incident in February 2021 in which police received a report that a woman was being held against her will and sexually assaulted in the community of Opitsaht on Meares Island. 

The matter was investigated by the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO), who ultimately cleared the officer involved of wrongdoing. 

According to the IIO report on the matter, when officers arrived at the home the woman was reportedly being held in, they found four individuals, three of whom were intoxicated and one was asleep. 

After arresting two of the individuals, police reported that one of the people inside, Jones, was thought to be holding knives. 

One officer used his Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW or ‘Taser’) on Jones, who then fell to the ground. 

As the officer who tased Jones got closer to handcuff the man, he reportedly arose still holding what police thought were knives. 

Two officers then fired their service weapons at Jones, killing him. 

When officers approached his body, they discovered he was not holding knives, but held two metal files in his hands at the time he was shot.

Related:

• Police cleared of wrongdoing for killing sexual assault suspect near Tofino

Witnesses to the incident had varying accounts of what happened, but all claimed the lights were on in the house and that Jones was simply ‘hot knifing’ cannabis. 

Former chief civilian officer of the IIO, Ronald MacDonald found that the two officers had attempted to de-escalate the situation in accordance with their training.

According to the IIO, lethal force was justified because the suspect approached the officer. 

Shortly after the IIO decision was released, the BC First Nations Justice Council spoke out against the decision. 

“The pattern of unaccountability and injustice for Indigenous victims of police violence, their families, and their communities is reprehensible,” said Judith Sayers, Director of the Justice Council in a statement.  

“It underscores the fact that policing oversight is broken. It begs the question, how can we count on colonial oversight bodies, including the IIO, to hold police accountable when they continue to do the exact opposite?”

At the time he was killed, Jones marked the second member of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation who lost their life to police violence in less than two years.

Now, a new inquest has been opened into the matter by BCCS, a mandatory practice for any deaths that occur while a person was detained by or in the custody of a police officer.

Coroner’s inquests are a non-fault-finding public inquiry that serves three primary functions. 

BCCS will attempt to determine the facts related to a death, to make recommendations to prevent future deaths with similar circumstances and to ensure public confidence that the death will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored. 

This endeavour will be taken on by presiding coroner Larry Marzinzik and a jury. 

They will hear evidence from witnesses to determine the facts surrounding this death while not making any finding of legal responsibility or expressing any conclusion of law.

A livestream of this inquest will be available on the BCCS’s website beginning on Tuesday, August 18th.