The public inquest into the death of Trent Angus is taking place at the Dekker Centre in North Battleford from Feb. 10 to Feb. 14. (Kenneth Cheung/ battlefordsNOW)

By Kenneth Cheung

INQUEST- DAY 2

ERT members explain decision to fire on Sask. man during second day of inquest

Feb 11, 2025 | 10:14 PM

The second day of a coroner’s inquest into the fatal confrontation between Trent Angus and RCMP three years ago saw four Emergency Response Team (ERT) members testify about their decision to open fire.

Read more: Day 1- Testimony begins at inquest for Sask. Man killed in shootout with RCMP.

The Sergeant in charge of ERT, Tyler Smith, was a corporal during the high-risk search warrant being executed at a Quonset in Waseca, Sask. – a village located west of Maidstone. He told the inquest that officers were attempting to force suspects inside the building to surrender when the situation turned violent.

Escalation during a tactical operation

According to Smith, officers were using a saw to cut a hole in the wall to insert CS gas when he heard multiple “pops.” At the time, he was unsure whether the sounds were gunfire. Moments later, officers were taking three suspects into custody. It was then that Smith noticed a fellow officer was bleeding from his head. Upon closer examination, he realized the responding officer had been struck in the forehead by a bullet believed to have been shot from the Quonset. The injury to the officer was not life-threatening.

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Angus confronts officers

The six-person inquest jury heard that as Angus emerged from the Quonset, he refused to comply with police commands and placed one hand into his pocket. ERT member Kevin Le testified that fearing Angus was reaching for a weapon, he fired a 40mm less-lethal foam projectile to force compliance.

Le said the projectile had no effect. Instead, Angus responded by saying, “Fu*k you,” before swinging his body toward sniper Aaron Gonsch while holding a 9mm handgun.

Trent Angus (Submitted/RCMP SK Media)

Officers open fire

Gonsch testified that he was unsure if the man was Angus, but his movements posed a clear threat. Fearing for the officers and surrounding community safety, he fired twice at Angus’s chest, causing him to fall to the ground.

Gonsch explained that he aimed at his chest because it was the most effective way to neutralize the threat, as shooting at the arms or legs might not have stopped him immediately.

Despite being struck, Angus’s gun remained pointed toward officers. Another ERT member, Joey Kirkland, testified that, given an officer had already been shot and Angus was believed to be wearing body armour, he discharged his firearm as well.

Smith, who said he could see a muzzle flash and the subject shooting at them, also opened fire, discharging approximately 20 rounds until Angus stopped moving.

Smith defended the volume of shots he fired, saying that a 9mm handgun Angus had—capable of firing at high speeds with a muzzle velocity of approximately 1,200 feet per second—could have inflicted severe damage before officers had time to react.

As long as he had a gun pointed at them, he could have taken a life in a matter of seconds, Smith added.

Angus’s family members sat in on the inquiry Tuesday but did not feel comfortable commenting when battlefordsNOW’s reporter approached.

The hearing continues throughout the week as presiding coroner William Davern, council Blaine Beaven, representatives of Department of Justice Canada Amanda Neudorf and Emily Arthur and six jury members from the public examine the circumstances surrounding Angus’s death and the RCMP’s use of force.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com