Edmonton officers forced to shoot woman, inquiry finds
Nothing could prevent fatal shooting of woman with fake gun, says judge
Two Edmonton police officers could not have done anything differently in the shooting death of a woman in north Edmonton two years ago, a judge has found.
"In this case, there was nothing that the police could have done differently when faced with these events," Judge Susan Richardson wrote in her fatality inquiry report released Wednesday. "Accordingly, there are no recommendations to make for the prevention of similar deaths."
Bernadette Auger, 48, was shot twice by police on the afternoon of Jan. 16, 2010 after she left her apartment building carrying what appeared to be a handgun.
She continued to point what turned out to be a replica handgun at police while ignoring commands to drop the weapon.
Two officers fired at her, hitting her with lethal shots in the head and the neck.
Auger's husband, George Coward, told police he believed she was attempting to commit suicide by forcing police to shoot her, an opinion supported by her actions, Richardson wrote.
Auger was also under several different prescription medications, all of which had sedative side effects. Her blood-alcohol content was also almost three times the legal limit for driving.