Hamilton police should expand its mental health response unit: MacDougall inquest jury

Every police service in Ontario should have a joint response unit with mental health workers, and Hamilton's should expand and operate 24 hours a day.

That's just some of what the jury recommended after a two-week inquest into the death of Quinn MacDougall, a 19-year-old who was shot and killed by Hamilton police three years ago.

The five-member jury had 10 recommendations — some for Hamilton police, some for all Ontario police, and some for the province.

It said police services should look at establishing joint teams with community mental health partners, if none already exist, to help with calls when someone is in crisis. And Hamilton's mobile crisis rapid response team (MCRRT), which operates in partnership with St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, should have more units and be available around the clock.

David Eden, who presided over the inquest, said he hopes people listen.

"Quinn MacDougall was a beloved family member and friend who died tragically in an interaction in police," he said as he wrapped up the inquest Friday. 

"This inquest has been an opportunity for a public examination of the facts surrounding his death and to learn from his death to prevent similar deaths. The jury, as representatives of the community, has translated that evidence into findings of fact and has written carefully considered recommendations that we can all hope will be implemented."

MacDougall was living in a Caledon Avenue townhouse complex on April 3, 2018. The jury heard that MacDougall called police after he got a threatening message on Snapchat. That message said "we're fighting" with a photo of the complex.

MacDougall made several distraught 911 calls, saying a man with a gun was out to get him. At one point, he hung up on the emergency operator.

Police also believed there was a "mental health component" to the call, said Graeme Leach, an assistant Crown attorney who represented Eden in the inquest. 

Police responded, including a plain-clothes officer in an unmarked SUV. The jury heard that MacDougall appeared to run toward the SUV with a knife in his hand. A short time later, he was shot by police, and died in hospital. 

It's possible, the jury heard, that MacDougall thought the officer in the SUV was the person who prompted him to call 911 in the first place.

Family, friends, officers and emergency operators testified in the inquest. The officers said there was no time to de-escalate.

In April 2019, the Special Investigations Unit cleared the officers of any wrongdoing.