911 call made from Craig McDougall's phone before he was shot by police, inquest hears - Action News
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911 call made from Craig McDougall's phone before he was shot by police, inquest hears

An inquest into the 2008 police shooting death of 26-year-old Craig McDougall resumed Monday. McDougall was killed by Winnipeg police on Aug. 2, 2008.

26-year-old fatally shot by Winnipeg police in 2008

Craig McDougall inquest resumes Monday

8 years ago
Duration 1:38
An inquest in Winnipeg heard from Craig McDougall's father Brian McDougall about the night his son was fatally shot by Winnipeg police. The court also heard 911 calls placed the night of his death.

Someone called 911 from Craig McDougall's cell phone reporting a stab wound the morning the 26-year-old was shot by police, an inquest heard Monday.

Craig McDougall, 26, was shot and killed by Winnipeg police officers on Aug. 2, 2008. The inquest into his death resumed on Monday after a three-month delay.

Court proceedings originally began in August, eight years after McDougall's death, but the inquestwas put on hold after a witness's story changed.

Inquest resumes with 911 calls

The inquest began Monday with four 911 calls made theday McDougalldied. The first call was placed at 4:34 a.m. on the morning ofMcDougall'sdeath, andthe last at 5:09 a.m., with a manreporting he had been stabbed.
An inquest into the police shooting death of 26-year-old Craig McDougall resumed Monday. (Bebo.com)

Someone at the Simcoe Street home of Craig's father, Brian McDougall,made the first call to 911. Brian McDougall said in courtit was not him.

On the call, a manis heard reporting two men trying to break into McDougall'shome. The caller identifies the alleged home invadersas Craig McDougall and Trevor Monias.

Therelevanceof thesecond and third calls, from women reporting violence in the area near the house, is still not known.

The fourth call to 911 was an unknown male voice calling from Craig McDougall's cellphone reporting he had been stabbed at Brian McDougall's house.

Father testifies in inquest

Brian McDougall, 58,testified after the 911 calls were played. He confirmed his son was already at his Simcoe Street home when police arrived.

McDougall, an Indigenous elder, said he haddifficultly hearing and understanding questions. His first language is Oji-Cree and no translation services were provided in the courtroom Monday.

BrianMcDougall alsohadtroublerecalling the events of his son's death.

He said he remembered going to bed and then being woken up by his partner, who saidshe heard gunshots. He said he then remembers seeing the red lights from a police cruiser.

After looking to see what the commotion was, he remembered seeing his son, Craig, lying on the ground, and said he tried to run to him, butan officer grabbed him by the collar to stop him.

He was tackled to the ground by the officer, he said, who then put his knee on his neck.

'Is he all right,is he breathing?'

"I kept saying, 'Is he all right?Is he breathing?'" McDougallsaid. The father said no emergency workers were attending to his son.

McDougall said he was then handcuffed and taken to the Public Safety Building for questioning. He said no one informed him of his son's conditionwhile he was at police headquarters until hours had passed.

CoreyShefman, the lawyer representing the McDougallfamily, expressed concernabout the amount of time that passed between McDougall's death and the inquest.

While questioningBrianMcDougall,Shefman referred to the father's 2008 police statement to jog his memory.

After the court took a break for lunch, McDougall took the stand again and was questioned by the Crown. He was excused early due to health issues.

Police andMcDougall'sfamily give different accounts ofwhat happened beforeMcDougallwas fatally shot.

Police say McDougallwas holding a knife that he refused to drop after multiple requests. Police said they fired a gun at him after aTaserdidn't subdue him.

McDougall'sfamily members say the 26-year-old was holding acellphone, not a knife,and he was talking to his girlfriend at the time of the shooting.

with files from Jillian Taylor