Quebec coroner to hold public inquest into death of Riley Fairholm
While the public coroners’ inquest will eventually produce a list of recommendations, Kelley wants to see body and cruiser camera initiatives sooner rather than later.
Tracy Wing is inching closer to discovering more details surrounding her 17-year-old son’s sudden death during a police intervention three years ago, after she revealed there will be a public coroner’s inquest later this year.
“I do feel validated in the fact that I had so many questions that I felt were unanswered and the coroner feels the same,” said Wing.
Her son, Riley Fairholm, was suffering a mental health crisis. He was carrying an air gun, walking in the street in Lac-brome on the night of July 25, 2018, when he was confronted by Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police officers. The encounter lasted 60 seconds, according to Wing.
But the way it played out remains shrouded in mystery. Wing has long felt like she has been kept in the dark about how everything unfolded that night. She has jumped through hoops for years trying to nail down the details. A coroner’s inquest is one of her last options.
“It’s the last window unless I do a civil suit, or a private suit. But this is the best window because it’s not from me, it’s like the coroner is saying she has questions, something’s off here.”
The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) investigated the deadly intervention, which saw one of the officers shoot Fairholm in the head, but they concluded that there was no wrongdoing. Wing isn’t satisfied, though, she wants more answers.
“It’s almost been three years since Riley died and there’s no coroner’s report, there’s no autopsy, there’s nothing that’s even been looked at,” she said.
Wing has known about the public coroners’ inquest since August 2020. However, the coroner’s office told her that they would provide further information in October. She waited until November before hearing back from the office.
They initiated an inquest mandate, but it was never made public. It hasn’t been updated on the coroner’s website, either. There is no concrete reason for why it took so long for them to make the inquest official, Wing explained, it just takes time.
“There’s just a lot of relief, I’ve been hanging onto this for a while,” said Wing. “It’s the secrecy of it all, so I wonder exactly what is being so protected; it must be super valuable.”
Liberal MNA Greg Kelley, who helped Wing present a petition to the
National Assembly demanding police officers wear body cameras and equip dashboard cameras to cruisers, said he is happy to hear Wing’s family can hopefully get some closure soon.
He said he is still heartbroken for Wing and her family. Kelley believes the government has a responsibility to support Quebec’s coroners. The budget is there to make sure they have the necessary resources and technicians, he said.
Kelley and Wing continue to be vocal advocates for police body cameras. While the public coroners’ inquest will eventually produce a list of recommendations, Kelley wants to see body and cruiser camera initiatives sooner rather than later.
“I think that’s one thing that we don’t have to wait for a coroner’s report to take action now. It doesn’t change the fact that there might be incidents, but it will provide some transparency to people,” he said.
Wing hopes the coroner’s inquest produces recommendations for the police to use in future interventions, especially when dealing with mental health issues. But she is also aware that these are just recommendations, not mandates, so it’s going to take more pressure.
For now, Wing is eager to begin the inquest. She wants to know what the officers talked about before arriving on the scene, why they didn’t wait for tactical support, and who, if anyone, instructed the officer to shoot her son.
“I just want to know what happened the night my son died, that’s all, they’re making me feel like there’s something to hide,” said Wing. “I’ve hidden nothing about my son’s struggles, nothing.”