'I'm going to die': Officer recalls night Beau Baker died
'I'm going to die': Officer recalls night Beau Baker died
Remembering the night he fatally shot Beau Baker outside a Kitchener apartment on Brybeck Crescent in April 2015, Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) Staff Sgt. Eric Boynton - who was a patrol officer at the time - testified he was worried about Baker killing himself or others.
Boynton said when he arrived to the scene, he saw three people outside. Boynton said he wasn’t sure who the people were, and asked about an object he saw in one of their hands.
Boynton said he realized it was a knife and concluded that the person holding it was the person dispatch told him was threatening to kill emergency responders and people passing by.
“The totality of the circumstances around me and that were outside, there’s passersby and so on, and that he has a knife and presents it in that way, that he was capable of causing myself, himself and the public serious bodily harm or death. As such, I drew my firearm and pointed it at him,” Boynton said.
“It’s etched in my memory because it’s very odd for someone to say ‘a really sharp knife’ and hold it up like that,” Boynton said.
Boynton said he told the two other people to move away and repositioned himself so if he had to shoot his gun, any bullets that might miss wouldn’t hit someone behind Baker.
Boynton said Baker was threatening to stab him and didn't seem to care that he was at gunpoint. He said he was pleading with Baker to drop the knife.
“Desperately trying to figure out whatever hook - whatever thing I could say - to him to get him to put down the knife. Because my fear was that everything I said to him wasn’t having an effect,” Boynton said.
Boynton said when another officer arrived on scene, he looked at the other officer, taking his eyes off Baker for a moment.
“Beau took that opportunity to advance in my direction,” Boynton said.
That’s when Boynton fired his gun.
“The first ones missed. I remember there was this fear that for some reason I’m pulling the trigger, and nothing is happening,” Boynton said.
“If I don’t do something more, I’m going to die,” Boynton said.
Boynton said the last time he pulled the trigger was the round that stopped Baker - hitting him in the centre of his body. He quickly began life-saving efforts on Baker.
Boynton said he didn't have a Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW), commonly known as a Taser, but said he would never put a gun away to replace it with a CEW, and it wouldn't have been reliable enough to use a CEW in the situation.
According to Boynton, he’s tormented himself thinking of different outcomes, but no matter what he always concludes the only correct response is what happened.
Holding back tears, Boynton said he has a son too.
“Parents shouldn’t have to bury their kids. And for the role I played in that, I’m sorry,” Boynton said.
During cross examination, Boynton was asked if he ever told Baker he would shoot him if he moved.
Boynton said he believed he did, but it wasn't recorded in any notes or earlier testimony.
FAMILY FINALLY HEARING DETAILS
Nearly eight years since the shooting, this is the first time the Baker family is hearing what happened that night. The family’s lawyer said they're happy it's happening, but knowing the details of the shooting are tough to take.
"They’ve waited a really long time to really actually find out what happened that night. They've been getting bits and pieces. So, it's really important for them to be able to hear everything," Asha James, the lawyer for the Baker family said.
James said the family is hoping the inquest can lead to recommendations surrounding escalation involving police and providing enough mental health supports to try and avoid similar situations occurring in the future.
“The idea of the interventions that could have happened earlier that may have changed the trajectory of Beau’s path,” James said.
The jury is expected to hear from Baker’s family doctor on Thursday, as well, the chief of police is expected to testify tomorrow about police responses to mental health calls.
Correction
A previous version of this story incorrectly said John Goodman was WRPS Chief at the time of Baker's death. In fact, Bryan Larkin was the chief at the time.
With the latest hike bringing Canada's key interest rates to levels not seen since 2001, one mortgage broker is warning that it may be 'the last straw' for some homeowners with variable mortgages.
It's been a busy, tumultuous few days for Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex as he took his place on the witness stand in his trial against the Mirror Group Newspapers. Here are royal commentator Afua Hagan's top takeaways from his two-day grilling.
Poor air quality is forecast to persist into the weekend across parts of Ontario, as plumes of wildfire smoke blanket the province and prompt school boards to limit outdoor activities.
The Bank of Canada's latest decision to raise its key interest rate comes at a time when many are struggling to afford their homes. CTVNews.ca wants to hear from people in Canada who are going to great lengths to find affordable housing.
One of the architects of the law that governs Canada's prison system says it's understandable people want revenge on killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo, but that's not what the prison system is designed for.
With social media ever-present in modern life, figuring out when and how to introduce it to children is something every parent will have to deal with eventually. CTV's Your Morning spoke to a child-life specialist about how parents can have that conversation and be positive role models too.
A lifejacket and a swift response by the community are credited with saving the life of a swimmer who had drifted from shore near Grand Bend last weekend.
Smoke from wildfires in Quebec and Northern Ontario is finding its way into the region. While the London, Ont. area has escaped the extreme haze seen over parts of Eastern Ontario, a special air quality advisory is in effect — anyone looking up Tuesday evening could see why.
Construction has started on Dundas Street between Quebec and Egerton streets. The work is for the East London Link and is expected to take about two months to complete.
Multiple municipalities across Simcoe County are under fire bans amid tinder-dry conditions igniting concerns about the potential dangers of out-of-control fires.
A northern Ontario forest fire that started west of Sudbury on Sunday morning has grown to more than 1,000 hectares and has prompted officials to issue an evacuation order for the immediate area as the number of active fires in the region grows.
Poor air quality is forecast to persist into the weekend across parts of Ontario, as plumes of wildfire smoke blanket the province and prompt school boards to limit outdoor activities.
The air quality in Toronto has become so polluted due to forest fires in Quebec and Ontario that strenuous outdoor activities could leave you coughing and with an itchy throat.
A regulatory body has revoked the licence of a Mississauga homebuilder after it says that the company demanded that a buyer pay an additional $518,000 for a property that they already had a contract to purchase.
Further evacuations are necessary in Abitibi and Nord-du-Québec due to forest fires. Although the situation has improved on the North Shore due to rain, no precipitation is expected further west until Monday.
In an interview on CJAD 800 Radio, Quebec Conservative Party leader Eric Duhaime said the new measures in place related to Quebec's ammendments to the French Language Charter have made Quebec a 'laughingstock' and that phone and website messages are 'offensive.'
One of the architects of the law that governs Canada's prison system says it's understandable people want revenge on killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo, but that's not what the prison system is designed for.
The chief of the Shelburne Volunteer Fire Department says the blaze near Barrington Lake, which is now classified as “held,” is unlike anything he’s ever seen.
Halifax media outlets were given a tour of the neighbourhoods hardest hit by the Tantallon wildfire Tuesday afternoon and saw firsthand the damage and destruction left behind.
Irving Oil says it’s undertaking a “strategic review” with an eye to its future. In a release Wednesday, the company says it’s looking at a number of options, including the sale of its assets.
The man who was found not criminally responsible in the stabbing deaths of five people at a house party in Brentwood more than nine years ago is seeking more freedoms.
The man who was found not criminally responsible in the stabbing deaths of five people at a house party in Brentwood more than nine years ago is seeking more freedoms.
A reward of $100,000 is up for grabs as police in Metro Vancouver renew calls for help finding 36-year-old Cody Timothy Casey—a man wanted Canada-wide for a total of 17 drugs and firearms offences.
The pounding sounds of running on hardwood, the smash of the ball hitting the boards and the cheer of the crowd—it’s officially lacrosse season at Queens Park Arena in New Westminster.
