A coroner’s inquest into the death of a man at the ferry terminal in Departure Bay is calling for more advanced care paramedics and ERT officers when police are arresting armed suspects.
Jer Wood also known as Jerry Robert Smallwood, died in May of 2018 after being fired on by RCMP officers while he was fleeing arrest in connection to a violent carjacking in Penticton.
Police blocked Wood from driving away from the terminal and opened fire when he picked up a handgun from the passenger seat to commit suicide.
The jury recommended that the RCMP set up a full-time Emergency Response Team on Vancouver Island and consider staging advanced care paramedics in “operations where the subject may be armed.”
According to the verdict, Jer Wood’s death was classified as a suicide.
