Inquest recommends RCMP look at follow-up policy after Lisa Dudley case

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A coroner’s inquest into the death of woman who spent four days paralyzed and dying inside her British Columbia home says police and police dispatchers need to review policies and procedures for serious calls.

A hearing this week was told that two RCMP officers responded to a call about shots fired in Mission in 2008, but did not get out of their vehicles to investigate or contact the neighbour who called 911.

Inside the home, 37-year-old Lisa Dudley and her boyfriend had been shot in an attack over a marijuana grow-op and she lay dying for four days until a neighbour checked in and called for help.

Dudley died in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

The inquest has made nine recommendations, including that RCMP explore policies around following up on calls about “potential grievous bodily harm” like shootings and stabbings, and look at increased training if such policies are already in place.

“Our family feels very strongly that this shouldn’t be left hanging as a recommendation. What we are dealing with public safety. This is about policing, regional policing,” says Mark Surakka, Dudley’s stepdad.

“What disappointed us most of all was that it took a decade to get a coroner’s inquest. It was a cruel, cruel thing.”

The parents did learn one thing during the inquest: that Dudley managed to utter her last wishes to an ambulance attendant before she died. She said to tell her mother she was sorry and that she loved her. The message wasn’t relayed to the family.

“The amazing thing is that it brought great relief to Rosemarie to hear that her daughter said in her last words that she loved her mother,” says Surakka.

The goal of an inquest is not to lay blame, but to determine the events that led to a person’s death and potentially make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.

The inquest doesn’t mark the end of the road in the family’s ordeal. They are still pursuing a remedy in the courts.

“We are trying to present a Charter challenge. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees life, liberty, and security of person. It’s very apparent to us that Lisa was deprived of her life and liberty.”

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today