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

The RCMP officer who fatally shot a 26-year-old near Belle Plaine, Sask., in 2022 said he didn't know until an inquest this week that there were no bullets in the victim's gun.

Const. Burton Steele testified Tuesday on the second day of the coroner's inquest into Ryan Booker's death.

Booker died on Highway 1 after a six-hour standoff with police on July 17, 2022.

At the time, RCMP said they received a report of a man who was sitting in his car and making threats toward his partner. The man then drove from the Superstore parking lot in Moose Jaw, where his partner's car had been parked, and pulled over near Belle Plaine, RCMP said.

Steele was one of the officers called to assist officers on the shoulder of Highway 1. He said he was told by his superior to travel by tactical vehicle to "box in" Booker's car to prevent him from driving away again.

Steele was also assigned to act as the team's sniper, to provide extra coverage for officers as they got closer to Booker's car.

Steele said the distance between him and Booker's golden Toyota was about 70 metres.

"At 70 metres you could shoot a nickel or a quarter," Steele said. 

Over the course of the standoff, Booker was seen propping his rifle up on the window of the vehicle, and moving it up to the sky and down again. Steele said he did not find that threatening.

Then, Steele said, Booker propped his gun up at a 45-degree angle and pointed it in the direction of the officers. 

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

Officers from RCMP, Moose Jaw police and Regina police were all at the scene. Steele said any of them could have been at risk of being shot if he didn't intervene. 

"You wouldn't have time to stop that," he said, pointing to Booker's 2.43 rifle. 

Steele aimed for the only part of Booker he could see — the head.