Bush Inquest Goes To Jury

By 250 News

Jury deliberations into the death of Ian Bush in Houston BC in October 2005 will begin tomorrow.

Testimony at the Coroner’s inquest ended today with the appearance of Joseph Slemko, an Edmonton police officer who was testifying as an individual.

Despite repeated attempts by David Butcher the lawyer representing Constable Paul Koester (who shot Ian Bush to death) Joseph Slemko refused to budge from his position that Constable Koester was on top of Ian Bush, not the other way around as Koester had testified. Koester had testified that he was on the bottom of the exchange and Bush had a choke hold on him. As he was passing out from that hold Koester says he reached around and, after banging Bush on the back of head, fired one shot which entered the rear of Bush’s brain and came to rest at the front of his skull.

Slemko spent the entire day on the witness stand, first as he was grilled as to his qualifications and then on the evidence that he was presenting to the Coroner’s jury.  

Slemko says from viewing the pictures it is apparent that Bush died in the very position he was in when the shot was fired.

Mitch Houg the lawyer representing the Crown said to Slemko, "Earlier evidence was that Bush would have died instantly and is unlikely to have moved from the fatal shot."

Slemko says, Koester had no measurable amount of blood on him, even though, according to Koester’s testimony, he was on the bottom and directly in line with where the bullet would have exited spilling blood on him. Slemko also said the blood spatter on the wall indicated that Bush was shot from behind, likely at a 90 degree angle to his head, meaning that the gun had been pressed either right up to Bush’s head or very close.

In spite of efforts to discredit Slemko, he held his ground on the evidence that he presented.

Following his testimony, Slemko said this was the worst day he has ever had in his life where he has had to testify against a fellow officer. He  continued  by  saying the RCMP, or for that matter any other police force in Canada, cannot investigate themselves and this is an example of the result.

During the inquest, at every break an RCMP officer from Alberta would spend time talking to the lawyer representing Koester. That officer was identified as the same officer who had written Slemko’s superiors in the Edmonton police department saying  Slemko should not be allowed to testify.  Slemko said on the stand, “I don’t like people running around behind my back , if you want to say something to me, do it in front of me."

In the end, Coroner Shane DeMeyer said he believed Slemko was an expert witness and allowed his testimony.

Outside of the court room Slemko was asked did he believe that Koester should be charged in connection with Bush’s death. He said, he didn’t want to comment on that.

He said when justice is not served it does little to help the image of all of those who are in police services across Canada.

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