Coroner's inquest into fatal B.C. hostage-taking set to begin

A coroner's inquest into a 2019 hostage-taking in Surrey, B.C., that resulted in the deaths of two people begins Tuesday.

In March 2019, RCMP were called to a home in the city and found Randy Crosson barricaded inside. He was holding his girlfriend Nona McEwan hostage, according to the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), British Columbia's police oversight agency.

Officers shot and killed Crosson at the scene and the IIO said two bullets accidentally struck McEwan. She later died in hospital.

The goal of the inquest is not to make any finding of legal responsibility, but to determine the facts related to the death and to make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances.

The Ministry of Public Safety says the inquest also serves to ensure public confidence that the death of an individual "will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored."

The inquest will be heard by a presiding coroner, Margaret Janzen, and a jury.

They will hear evidence from witnesses who are under oath.

In 2020, the IIO cleared officers of wrongdoing in the deaths of Crosson and McEwan.

When officers entered the home, it said, they found Crosson holding a knife to McEwan's neck and he had what appeared to be a gun in his other hand. Several officers then shot at Crosson.

After her death, former colleagues described McEwan as having a "heart of gold."

The inquest begins Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. PT at the Coroners' Court in Burnaby, B.C.