Taman inquiry comes to a close

After weeks of testimonyand thousands of pages of evidence, the Manitoba inquiry into the death of Crystal Tamanconcluded in Winnipeg Thursday.

Taman was killed when her car was struck from behind byan off-duty Winnipeg police officerin February 2005. Derek Harvey-Zenk had been partying with other officers that night.

The inquiry wascalled by the province to look into the way the case was handled by the justice system after Harvey-Zenk received a sentence of two years of house arrest.

The inquiry, headed by former Ontario judge Roger Salhany, heard testimony from50 witnesses since beginning in June.

Taman's husband, Robert, said he isrelieved the inquiry isover and is looking forward to the final report.

"This has been a long, really bumpy road for us," he said. "It's been a tough go and I'm proud of my children."

During closing submissions earlier this week, the commission's lawyer made 12 recommendations, including further investigation of the East St. Paul police department, which is blamedfor failing to do its job properly.

The final report is supposed to be delivered to the government by the end of September.