The Emergency Response Team cop who drove an RCMP tactical armoured vehicle during a fatal stand-off in Whalley five years ago told a coroner含羞草研究社檚 inquest what it was like to be in harm含羞草研究社檚 way.

Sgt. Kyle Kuharski testified Wednesday (April 17) at the inquest into the deaths of Nona Marnie McEwan, 45, and her boyfriend Randy Crosson, 48 who were killed by police on March 29, 2019. Crosson was holding McEwan hostage at the time.

含羞草研究社淚t was broadcast that a firearm was pointed out of the window at the front of the residence, and pointed at me, or the TAV,含羞草研究社� Sgt. Kyle Kuharski.

Because he was by himself in the vehicle, Kuharski said, he wasn含羞草研究社檛 able to pull closed the hatch near his seat. 含羞草研究社淚t was a concern for me at that time because I含羞草研究社檓 sitting right there, and my head, while it含羞草研究社檚 recessed inside the vehicle, it is if you含羞草研究社檝e seen any movies with tanks, it含羞草研究社檚 kind of like that, you含羞草研究社檙e sitting there and then your head is just right kind of like flush with the roof of the TAV.含羞草研究社�

Kuharski has been a police officer since 2002 and was an ERT member from 2008 to 2021 in the Lower Mainland, based out of Surrey.

He backed the TAV off of the lawn and down the street to a place he could pull the heavy hatch closed, 含羞草研究社渏ust to give myself a little bit more of ballistic protection,含羞草研究社� before returning to the front lawn.

含羞草研究社淚 continued the broadcasts over the PA. I advised Randy that he was under arrest for pointing a firearm at a police officer. I continued to tell him that we needed to talk to him. We told him to call 911, asked him to come out, asked anyone inside to come out, told him, told Nona that we needed her to come out and just kind of went through that narrative.含羞草研究社�

Kuharski said he含羞草研究社檇 received a broadcast on his phone earlier, 含羞草研究社渢hat there had been shots fired and that they含羞草研究社檇 heard a female screaming and that ERT was required.含羞草研究社� After scoping out the scene, he thought the best position would be on the front lawn, where he activated the TAV含羞草研究社檚 emergency lights and sirens and did a broadcast on the 含羞草研究社渓oud-hailer.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚 told Randy over the PA system that it was the police, that he was under arrest for failing to comply with his release conditions, that we had a warrant for his arrest and that he needed to exit the house. I told him to do this, come out the front door with his hands in the air, and continued to broadcast that.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚t would be repetitious,含羞草研究社� he told the inquest.

含羞草研究社淚 remember from inside the TAV hearing yelling, a male含羞草研究社檚 voice 含羞草研究社� or it sounded like a male含羞草研究社檚 voice to me. It含羞草研究社檚 hard when you含羞草研究社檙e inside that vehicle, it含羞草研究社檚 obviously very heavy metal, it含羞草研究社檚 hard to hear what含羞草研究社檚 exactly being said, but I remember hearing someone yelling from outside which wasn含羞草研究社檛 us,含羞草研究社� Kuharski said.

Eventually he was asked to 含羞草研究社渙pen含羞草研究社� the front door of the house with a battering ram mounted on the front of the TAV, but he couldn含羞草研究社檛 get close enough.

The inquest began April 16 in Burnaby at Coroners含羞草研究社� Court on the 20th floor of Metrotower II with coroner Margaret Janzen presiding. It含羞草研究社檚 expected to run for two weeks, with a jury of four women and a man hearing testimony.