McNeil not ruling out public inquiry into Desmond killings

Nova Scotia’s premier is calling a horrific murder-suicide involving a former Canadian soldier almost six months ago “a tragic event,” but the province is still not prepared to call a public inquiry – yet.

Stephen McNeil said any steps to investigate the deaths further wouldn’t be taken until family members and the province’s medical examiner are briefed on the findings of an internal health-care system review in the Lionel Desmond case.

“The family is being briefed and it is, in my view, the right place to start,” he said. “The family deserves the accounting first.”

Nova Scotia Health Authority officials will meet with Desmond’s family next week to share the findings of the confidential review into how the province’s health system dealt with the former soldier before he killed his family and himself in January. Desmond’s sisters have said their brother told them he was turned away from a hospital when he sought help from its mental-health unit in the days before the shootings, although a hospital spokesman has denied similar claims from other family members.