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3mo ago

B.C. Coroner Declines Inquest Into Lisa Rauch’s 2019 Police Shooting

The coroner relied on Rauch’s noncustodial status to rule out an inquest with the family objecting to additional proceedings.

Ron Rauch and his wife Audrey are photographed at their home in Victoria, Friday, March 5, 2021. Their daughter Lisa Rauch died on Christmas Day 2019 when a tactical officer with the Victoria Police Department shot her in the back of the head with plastic bullets after barricading herself in a room that was on fire. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Overview

  • Dr. Jatinder Baidwan has opted not to convene an inquest into Rauch’s death, marking an unusual decision in police-related fatality cases.
  • Lisa Rauch, 43, was killed on Christmas Day 2019 after Victoria police Sgt. Ron Kirkwood fired two ARWEN plastic bullets into her fire-engulfed apartment.
  • Former judge Wally Oppal found Kirkwood’s actions reckless and unnecessary at a public hearing and imposed a seven-day suspension without pay.
  • The coroner ruled that inquests are mandatory only for deaths occurring in police custody and determined that Rauch was not detained at the time she was shot.
  • ARWEN rounds are meant to be used with a clear line of sight and aimed at the torso, and their deployment in poor visibility has prompted questions about police protocols.