A coroner’s inquest is going ahead into the death of a man during a police incident at the Departure Bay ferry terminal six years ago.
A public inquest into the death of Jer Wood, also known as Jerry Robert Smallwood, will begin on November 12 in Nanaimo. His death was reported to the BC Coroners Service on May 8, 2018.
According to police statements from 2018, RCMP were responding to reports of a shooting in Vernon and carjacking in Penticton on May 7. The stolen vehicle was spotted on a Nanaimo-bound ferry the next day. After surrounding it in the terminal, the driver was shot in an altercation with police and later died from his injuries.
The public inquest has three functions:
- to determine the facts related to a death, including the identity of the deceased and how, when, where and by what means the individual came to their death, as well as a classification for the death;
- to make recommendations, where appropriate and supported by evidence, to prevent deaths in similar circumstances; and
- to ensure public confidence that the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored.
Presiding coroner Larry Marzinzik and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding the death.
The inquest will be open to the public and livestreamed online.
