Inquest jury concludes man shot dead by Saskatoon officers wanted to be killed by police

Warning: this story contains mention of suicide.

The jury at a coroner's inquest in Saskatoon concluded that Ronnie Glen Herman used police to die by suicide.

Jurors deliberated for three hours Wednesday after hearing emotional testimony about Herman's final hours, including Facebook posts he put out just before he died, over three days.

Inquests like this are not criminal proceedings and do not result in criminal charges. Juries are asked to determine the facts of the death and make recommendations to help prevent similar incidents in the future. In Herman's case, the jury made no recommendations.

Herman was shot 12 times by officers in a house in Saskatoon's Mayfair neighbourhood on Oct. 27, 2022.

Witnesses at the inquest said he had repeatedly called on police to shoot him.

On Wednesday morning, jurors heard from Sgt. Dallas Barber with the Regina Police Service, one of the independent investigators assigned to examine the shooting.

Barber testified about Facebook posts and messages retrieved from Herman's phone. Under the alias Glen Johnson, Herman wrote, "I'm going to go to the west side. If I die, I die."

"I'm going to die if they stop me," Herman wrote in one message. "I love you, okay, baby. I'm just going to get a shot in the head."

Barber said one of the last messages, sent around 6 p.m., said, "I'm surrounded."

He said the timing aligns with when Herman, 36, was surrounded by Saskatoon police, just before the gunshots were fired. Paramedics took Herman to Royal University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:57 p.m. CST.

Jurors also heard from Deputy Chief Darren Pringle, the incident commander that night. He said there were no cameras on the police vehicles on the scene or body-worn cameras on the officers. He said only front-line officers currently wear cameras and that the tactical unit is not yet equipped. He said there are plans to use them across the police force. 

When asked why the vehicle didn't have a camera, Pringle said he didn't know.

The inquest was supposed to last a week, but came to an end on the third day. Jurors heard from 16 witnesses, including police officers, paramedics, a forensic analyst and a registered nurse. They also reviewed exhibits like police photos, videos and social media messages.

Timothy Hawryluk was the presiding coroner.

Officers testified that Herman was armed and expressed suicidal tendencies.

Const. Jay Keating and Sgt. Kevin Adrian said they had tracked Herman to a house at 1344 Avenue E North. There were warrants for Herman's arrest because he was supposed to be under house arrest in La Loche, but had come to Saskatoon.

Keating testified that after watching the house, they spotted Herman in an alley and blocked him with their SUVs. When they turned on their emergency lights, Herman did not hesitate, Keating said.

"Herman pulled a black handgun from his pants and I yelled, 'gun, gun, gun,'" Keating testified.

"He dropped the bike and started yelling for us to shoot him. Then he held the gun to his own temple."

Keating said Herman then ran through a series of yards before going back into the house he'd been in.

The tactical unit arrived within minutes with its armoured truck and set up in the yard by the door where Herman had gone into the house. They used a loudspeaker to order him out, but he did not exit.

Keating said they could see him through a basement window and it appeared he had someone held at gunpoint.

Members of the tactical unit went into the house. Shortly after that, police and paramedics outside said they heard a volley of shots.

Paramedic Jeffery Maxin attended to Herman in the house. He testified that he'd never seen someone with so many wounds.

A history of violence

Herman had previously been shot in the arm by Saskatoon police nine months before his death, when he rushed officers outside a house on Avenue L South armed with a machete and replica handgun.

Two years earlier, in 2021, Herman was the subject of an RCMP alert in La Loche, just over 500 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, wanted for assault, assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and failure to comply with probation.

In 2009, when he was 22, Herman pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his role in the beating death of a teen in a parking lot in La Loche.

People living in the houses near where Herman died say dozens of plainclothes and uniformed police with guns drawn converged on a two-storey house across from the Mayfair elementary school around 5:45 p.m. CST on Oct. 27, 2022.

The established neighbourhood was busy at the time of the shooting — parent-teacher interviews had just started at the school and kids were out in the playground.

No police or bystanders were hurt.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to look for help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.