Inquest into death of Sask. man shot by police near Belle Plaine in 2022 begins

Aliyah Marko-Omene · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 23, 2025 8:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A coroner's inquest into the decease of 26-year-old Ryan Booker, who was fatally changeable by constabulary adjacent Belle Plaine, Sask., started Monday.

Booker died connected Highway 1 after a standoff with constabulary connected July 17, 2022.

At the time, RCMP said they received a study of a antheral was sitting successful his car, uttering threats. The antheral drove from the Superstore parking batch successful Moose Jaw and pulled implicit adjacent Belle Plaine, RCMP said.

After a six-hour standoff involving SWAT and RCMP's Critical Incident Response Team, constabulary changeable him. RCMP said the antheral had pointed his weapon astatine officers and did not comply with demands.

Inquests similar this are not transgression proceedings and bash not effect successful transgression charges. Juries are asked to find the facts of the decease and marque recommendations to assistance forestall akin incidents successful the future.

Coroner Aaron Fox selected six jurors who volition participate over what's expected to beryllium 5 days of proceedings.

Kaitlyn Hofer, who had been successful a six-year narration with Booker, testified Monday that helium had been diagnosed with slump soon earlier they met and was taking medicine for it until helium stopped "a twelvemonth and a bit" earlier helium was killed.

"I hadn't noticed a change," Hofer said.

She said their narration was "really good" up to the past six weeks earlier Booker died. He had been softly struggling with intoxicant and substance abuse, she said.

Hofer said determination was a time she noticed immoderate wealth had been missing and decided to face Booker astir it.

"He ended up telling maine the information — it was for drugs," she said.

Shortly after, the mates came to a communal determination that Booker would unrecorded astatine their camper successful Belle Plaine, 15 minutes from their location successful Moose Jaw, until helium was sober. 

Booker lived determination for astir a period earlier his death, returning location a fewer times.

Hofer said she would often enactment their kids to slumber astatine nighttime earlier going to the camper to cheque successful connected him. She said Booker wanted to get better.

"I would inquire if helium was ready," Hofer said. "'Just not yet' was ever his answer."

Details of the day

On the greeting of July 16, Hofer woke up to "a batch of messages" from Booker.

She had planned to spell to Country Thunder successful Craven that weekend. Hofer said Booker had been backmost and distant astir her going, but ultimately did not privation her to go.

"He threatened to overdose connected Xanax," Hofer said.

In a panic, she called Booker's parent Beth to travel her to their location successful Moose Jaw to cheque up connected him.

They arrived and looked done a model to spot Booker "passed out" connected the couch.

"I was banging connected the model to aftermath him up and helium wouldn't aftermath up," Hofer said.

She ended up climbing done the backmost model to get into the house.

"He hardly woke up," Hofer said, adding that Booker had been precocious astatine the time.

She decided to fto him slumber it off, arsenic she had galore nights. 

Later that day, Hofer was astatine Country Thunder with her friends erstwhile she received an aggravated telephone telephone from Booker.

"He said helium would termination maine and past helium would termination himself too," she said.

It was the lone clip Booker had ever threatened her passim their full relationship, Hofer said, adding that helium has lone ever made threats to harm himself.

Moments later, she received a telephone from his parent Beth informing her that Booker had conscionable stopped by her location to drawback a weapon and was heading to a SuperStore successful Moose Jaw. Hofer had parked her car astatine that SuperStore earlier to drawback the shuttle.

Police were already alert of the concern and advised her to chopped each connection with Booker. The shuttle autobus was besides rerouted to different determination for her safety.

Beth testified that she lone recovered retired astir Booker's struggles soon earlier helium was killed.

"I tried to halt him but I couldn't," Beth said. "They were having problems and helium was frightened helium wouldn't get to spot the kids."

After Booker near with the gun, Beth called his begetter to spell down to Belle Plaine to effort to defuse the situation.

"He conscionable didn't recognize however overmuch helium was loved," Beth said.

Barry Nosal, Booker's father, testified that helium wasn't ever alert that his lad was struggling with addictions oregon intelligence health.

Nosal said helium had besides stopped by with Beth and Hofer to cheque connected his lad earlier successful the day. He said the 3 of them had spent much than an hr trying to aftermath Booker up earlier deciding to fto him slumber it off. Nosal said he decided to instrumentality location the weapon that was successful Booker's location conscionable to beryllium safe.

"I conscionable thought helium partied excessively hard," helium said. "I was going to speech to him Monday astir his cause and narration issues."

Nosal said helium got a telephone from his lad the nighttime earlier helium was killed. Booker was upset and looking for his gun.

He said his lad has ever been into guns and didn't deliberation overmuch astir the telephone telephone until Beth called him. 

"He had been hunting since helium was 12 years old," Nosal said.

Once helium heard astir what was going on, Nosal instantly made his mode down to Belle Plaine.

"There were tons of cars down Highway 1," helium said.

Nosal said helium drove arsenic adjacent arsenic helium could to the nearest constabulary car, identified himself arsenic Booker's begetter and gave an officer his number. He said helium was told helium could not talk to his lad and to hold successful town. 

About 2 hours later, helium started to spot cars moving and again asked the serviceman if helium could talk to his son. The serviceman declined.

"About a fractional an hr aboriginal I got a substance asking wherever I was," Nosal said.

A mates minutes aboriginal 2 constabulary officers showed up and fto him cognize his lad had been killed, helium said.

Nosal said helium knows things would person been different if helium could person talked to his son.

"I don't cognize wherefore they didn't fto maine instrumentality that opportunity," helium said.

Moose Jaw constabulary and RCMP are expected to testify Tuesday.