Beau Baker's mom tells inquest she's proud to hear how hard her son tried to stay alive
CBC
Jackie Baker knew her son, Beau Baker, needed help, but told a coroner's inquest that finding the right mental health and addiction support for him was frustrating.
"I know Beau wanted to live, he just wanted to know how. He just wanted help — consistent help," Jackie Baker testified Wednesday at the inquest into his death.
Beau Baker, 20, was shot and killed by a Waterloo Regional Police Service officer in April 2015 outside Bakers' home on Brybeck Crescent in Kitchener, Ont. Baker had called 911 threatening to kill himself and harm others. Baker's family has said he had "documented mental health issues." Ontario's police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, said there were no reasonable grounds to charge the officer in Baker's death
An inquest into Baker's death is mandatory under the Ontario Coroners Act. The inquest into Baker's death began on March 20, 2023 and is being held virtually out of Toronto. The jury in a coroner's inquest makes recommendations to prevent future similar deaths. Read all of CBC's coverage of the coroner's inquest here.
Jackie told the inquest "Beau was a cutie" as a baby and toddler.
"He was creative, giving, he was the little version of his 20-year-old version. He thought of others. He did have a bit of a temper," she said, noting he was close in age to one of his brothers and they would fight sometimes.
She spoke about how when Beau was about two years old, she asked the Children's Aid Society to help her place her sons in a home while she sought help for problems with alcohol. She said it took a couple of years "to get it together" and become sober, and during that time, she saw the boys in visits arranged by the society.
When Beau was four years old, he and his brothers were returned to their mother's care. After several years of sobriety, Jackie relapsed and the Children's Aid Society moved the boys out of the family home. Beau was placed in a group home and she said he didn't like it there.
After some time, Jackie said she was able to bring Beau and his brothers back into her care. Eventually, Beau and his brother moved out of the home and lived together.
Jackie said she knew her sons were using alcohol and marijuana.
When Jackie's mom died of lung cancer in early 2011, Baker took it really hard, she said.
His grandmother was "the most consistent person in his life," Jackie said.
"He was just very sad and then I think angry," she said, but he didn't tell her he was suicidal.
"We had each other. We talked. We cried," she said, adding she did seek out various services in the community to get Beau help when he wanted it.