'There were no bullets': Moose Jaw police, RCMP testify at inquest into death of Sask. man killed by police

Aliyah Marko-Omene · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 24, 2025 8:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

The RCMP serviceman who fatally changeable a 26-year-old adjacent Belle Plaine, Sask., successful 2022 said helium didn't cognize until an inquest this week that determination were nary bullets successful the victim's gun.

Const. Burton Steele testified Tuesday connected the 2nd time of the coroner's inquest into Ryan Booker's death.

Booker died connected Highway 1 aft a six-hour standoff with constabulary connected July 17, 2022.

At the time, RCMP said they received a study of a antheral who was sitting successful his car and making threats toward his partner. The antheral past drove from the Superstore parking batch successful Moose Jaw, wherever his partner's car had been parked, and pulled implicit adjacent Belle Plaine, RCMP said.

• Police shoot, termination 27-year-old antheral during Highway 1 standoff adjacent Belle Plaine, Sask.

Steele was 1 of the officers called to assistance officers connected the enarthrosis of Highway 1. He said helium was told by his superior to question by tactical conveyance to "box in" Booker's car to forestall him from driving distant again.

Steele was besides assigned to enactment arsenic the team's sniper, to supply other sum for officers arsenic they got person to Booker's car.

Steele said the region betwixt him and Booker's aureate Toyota was astir 70 metres.

"At 70 metres you could sprout a nickel oregon a quarter," Steele said. 

Over the people of the standoff, Booker was seen propping his firearm up connected the model of the vehicle, and moving it up to the entity and down again. Steele said helium did not find that threatening.

Then, Steele said, Booker propped his weapon up astatine a 45-degree space and pointed it successful the absorption of the officers. 

"As the firearm levelled toward my location, the scope was down similar it was pointed to shoot," Steele said. 

Officers from RCMP, Moose Jaw constabulary and Regina constabulary were each astatine the scene. Steele said immoderate of them could person been astatine hazard of being changeable if helium didn't intervene. 

"You wouldn't person clip to halt that," helium said, pointing to Booker's 2.43 rifle. 

Steele aimed for the lone portion of Booker helium could spot — the head.

'No captious signs'

RCMP Const. Breaden Loney was besides connected country that day. He was parked astatine the bumper of Booker's vehicle when helium saw its near rear model conveyance shatter. 

"I heard connected the vigor shots were fired," Loney testified Tuesday.

He said helium started getting aesculapian equipment as officers discussed how to attack the conveyance — Booker's weapon was inactive pointing retired the window. 

Officers decided to person a constabulary "drag" Booker retired to abstracted him from the weapon. Loney said erstwhile that failed, 2 officers went up to the conveyance and took Booker out.

Loney and a medic from the Regina Police Service assessed Booker. He said the slug had deed Booker's neck.

"There were nary captious signs," Loney said.

After the assessment, helium approached the conveyance and grabbed Booker's firearm to wide it. 

"There were nary bullets successful it," Loney said.

'The walls were closing in'

Const. Jay Sills with the Moose Jaw Police Service said the commencement to his seven-hour displacement connected July 17 was antithetic than most. When Sills got to the station, his unit sergeant was rather "heightened" and "overwhelmed."

"There was a batch of unit for maine to marque the telephone telephone to Ryan," helium said. 

"I benignant of conscionable got thrown into it sooner than we usually would," Sills said. "I lone knew his sanction and a small spot astir the incident." 

Sills made interaction with Booker betwixt 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. to counsel helium would beryllium the caller "go-to person" for immoderate demands oregon requests — taking implicit for his colleague.

"He really was reasonably calm, which was surprising," Sills said. From what Sills had been told previously, helium expected Booker to beryllium successful a authorities of crisis.

Booker was parked successful the SuperStore parking batch astatine the clip and repeatedly asked to talk to his girlfriend, Sills said. He besides confirmed helium had a loaded firearm and was superior astir utilizing it.

Sills talked on-and-off with Booker for 5 hours. He said their longest speech lasted up to 20 minutes.

"He talked astir termination for a agelong time," Sills said. "But helium didn't consciousness similar helium was susceptible of doing it himself, truthful helium wanted to get the constabulary to bash it for him."

Sills said Booker's behaviour changed drastically aft helium near the SuperStore parking lot. Sills said helium began to speech astir travelling to a water oregon compartment to "take attraction of himself there."

Booker did not privation to spell to jailhouse oregon the hospital, Sills said.

Police followed Booker successful and retired of Moose Jaw for astir an hr until Sills yet convinced him to propulsion over.

"Things did get a small heightened," Sills said, noting each the effect teams that showed up. "So each the unit felt similar it was connected him."

He said helium believed galore times that helium was gathering immoderate rapport with Booker, but things would extremity up close backmost wherever they started.

Sills said the telephone to container successful Booker's conveyance was made astir 4 a.m. Booker called Sills successful a panic astir what would hap to him.

"He was crying and upset, astir similar the walls were closing in," helium said.

Sills said helium asked Booker galore times to enactment the weapon down, talking astir Booker's family, but Booker "just wouldn't bash it."

"He conscionable would accidental 'They're amended disconnected without me, I don't get to spot the kids anymore,'" Sills said.

• Father of Sask. antheral changeable dormant by constabulary grapples with nonaccomplishment and lingering questions

Sills spoke with Booker for the past clip astir 7 a.m.. 

"He hung up successful a heightened state," Sills said.

"Shortly aft we were told helium pointed a weapon astatine an RCMP serviceman and helium was changeable connected the scene."

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.

The six-person assemblage is expected to commencement connected its recommendations connected Wednesday.