Cop Who Shot Don Lewis Decorated Soldier

Thursday, June 05, 2008 04:00 AM

Williams Lake, B.C. - The RCMP officer who shot and killed a man camped at the top of the runaway lane on a highway leading out of McLeese lake, has told a Coroner's inquest in Williams Lake on Wednesday that he first checked on Don Lewis after a Mcleese woman had phoned in a complaint about a man camped on the runaway near her home.

Constable Cole Brewer told the inquest he found a motorcycle parked just off the runaway and checked on the plate to find out who the owner was. The motorcycle was registered to a Sara Penny and he said there was no report that it had been stolen or anything just that the license had expired.

Brewer then approached an area where he found a man camped in a tent. He said the camp looked like more than a temporary site given that there was a huge stack of wood around the camp.

(photo at right of campsite set up by Don Lewis, photo courtesy Coroner's inquest)

He found a naked man, snoring in a one man tent . Brewer asked him to step outside and the man did. He then asked who owned the bike and the man gave the wrong name according to Brewer. Brewer said when he asked the man his name, he said it was Don Lee. Brewer says that's when he became suspicious and didn't beleive what the camper was saying.

According to Brewer, after further questioning, Lewis bolted from the camp site with Brewer in hot purist. A fight ensued and Brewer tried to use his baton and pepper spray on Lewis. He eventually pulled his gun and struck Lewis after Lewis tried to grab his gun.

The Lawyer acting on behalf of Lewis's family, Cameron Ward, asked, if Lewis was camping at the runaway what was wrong with that he wasn’t camping illegally? To which Brewer said "Yes that is true, he wasn’t trespassing." Ward also asked if the motorcycle wasn’t stolen what was Lewis doing wrong? Brewer said "I felt he was giving me the wrong name, he looked uncomfortable."

Brewer said "I was looking at arresting him for Obstruction of justice", to which Ward asked "Obstruction for what? Did you ask him for ID?"

"No" came the reply.

( at right, photo of injuries to Constable Brewer)

Ward asked why , after shooting Lewis in the chest, why Brewer didn't get his first aid kit and try to help the wounded man? Brewer replied that he attempted to carry Lewis but was worn out from the fight so he handcuffed him to a small tree and left the scene. Brewer said he had put up a good struggle earlier and the constable felt he wasn’t badly injured in spite of being shot in the chest.

Ward asked Brewer if he had made up the stories about Lewis swearing to make the story more acceptable. "No Sir" said Brewer.

"Did you know if Lewis posed a risk to anyone?" questioned Ward. Brewer replied, "At the time I didn’t know that he was in the country illegally and there had been attempts to have him deported."

The questioning then switched to Brewers service in Bosnia were he was decorated for his humanitarian work in that country.

Brewer a full status Indian now serves in the RCMP on Vancouver Island in the Aboriginal police.

Dealing with Brewers statement to police, Cameron Ward asked why it had taken five days to put it together. Brewer said he was released from hospital on Monday morning, tried to get some sleep and have his injuries attended to and actually began to work on the statement on August 15^th and finished it on Friday.

Brewer told the court that his brother arrived from the Island where he serves as a Sergeant in the RCMP on Monday night.

Opinion250 has learned that Brewer's older brother arrived in Williams Lake the night after the shooting driving a police car and when the question was raised, RCMP media relations said that he had taken leave to be on hand. The reason for him using an RCMP vehicle was not explained beyond the Media rep saying that the only question is about the gas.

The older brother of Brewer has attended the entire inquest, and was in attendance when a walk through video was made three days after the shooting. That tape was not allowed into the records after it was ruled that it could be used to set the stage and location but nothing more.

The inquest continues today and will hear from an Immigration officer.

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Posted on Thursday, June 05, 2008 04:00 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on June 5 2008 7:32 AM

Does everyone have a problem with a brother showing up? I know my brothers would be on hand if I needed them. And probably a sister or two as well.

Police are a suspicious lot, and a naked man scampering away, would make them suspicious.

Me, I'd just start laughing and reach for the camera!

Posted by: owl on June 5 2008 8:01 AM

Yeah, but your brother would show up on a snowmobile, not a company car ......

;-)

Posted by: owl on June 5 2008 8:10 AM

"Brewer said when he asked the man his name, he said it was Don Lee. Brewer says that's when he became suspicious and didn't beleive what the camper was saying."

Why would he be suspicious? I would have been suspicious if the had answered "Sara Penny", the registered owner of the vehicle. Does this person not look like a "Don Lee". Dis he have the wrong type of nose for a "Don Lee" .... maybe more like a "Jack" nose.

Whatever happened to the age old method of:
" Can I see your drivers license and bike registration please?"

Maybe Brewer is hard of hearing? Got too close to some shell fire in the services ....

"Don Lewis" ... "Don Lee" ..... "Don Lee Lewis" ...

Posted by: MrPG on June 5 2008 8:17 AM

Why would he be suspicious? Gee Owl, I don't know, I wasn't there. Neither were you.

Posted by: fish on June 5 2008 8:36 AM

Hitting him with his baton and bear spaydid not help. So pull out the gun to hit him. that worked well for Brewer. I sure training states shoot to kill when you pull a gun. Which seems to me is what happened. It sounds like Brewer had no or lost control of the situation as a police officer from the begining. Wonder well he was mentally screened for the RCMP after serving in Bosnia.

}=>

Posted by: owl on June 5 2008 8:53 AM

"Why would he be suspicious? Gee Owl, I don't know, I wasn't there. Neither were you."

Neither was the coroner ..... yet he might still ask himself that question. Weird, how these things work isn't it???? Everybody into the poor decorated soldier's business ... I think he should be left alone, don't you?

Posted by: pisspulper on June 5 2008 9:00 AM

"According to Brewer, after further questioning, Lewis bolted from the camp site with Brewer in hot purist."

Hmm, Am I to uderstand that Brewer also engaged in an act of lewdness while chasing the suspect? Perhaps Lewis was scared of Brewer's baton?

Posted by: lostfaith on June 5 2008 9:12 AM

"Brewer said when he asked the man his name, he said it was Don Lee. Brewer says that's when he became suspicious and didn't beleive what the camper was saying."

"Brewer said "I was looking at arresting him for Obstruction of justice", to which Ward asked "Obstruction for what? Did you ask him for ID?"

"No" came the reply."

Ya, why would the cop be suspicious and want to arrest him for obstruction of justice when he was given the name Don Lee, when in fact he didn't know the guys real name to begin with?????????

The cop never asked him for ID and he proceeded with his unfounded suspicions that lead to this guys death.

Remember though, only the cop really knows what happened that day.

Posted by: MrPG on June 5 2008 9:13 AM

"Neither was the coroner ..... yet he might still ask himself that question. Weird, how these things work isn't it???? Everybody into the poor decorated soldier's business ... I think he should be left alone, don't you?"

No, I think the questions should be asked and the process followed. Remember the presumption of innocence? The 'poor soldier' is just as entitled to it as you and me.

Posted by: lostfaith on June 5 2008 9:13 AM

"the constable felt he wasn�t badly injured in spite of being shot in the chest."

Say what.

Posted by: lostfaith on June 5 2008 9:15 AM

"Did you know if Lewis posed a risk to anyone?" questioned Ward. Brewer replied, "At the time I didn�t know that he was in the country illegally and there had been attempts to have him deported."

This cop answers questions like a politician.

Posted by: lostfaith on June 5 2008 9:20 AM

"Opinion250 has learned that Brewer's older brother arrived in Williams Lake the night after the shooting driving a police car and when the question was raised, RCMP media relations said that he had taken leave to be on hand. The reason for him using an RCMP vehicle was not explained beyond the Media rep saying that the only question is about the gas.

The older brother of Brewer has attended the entire inquest, and was in attendance when a walk through video was made three days after the shooting."

Taken leave to be on hand. Ya OK.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on June 5 2008 9:23 AM

I fail to see what Brewer's service in Bosnia has to do with any of this?
But I do see a pattern of the RCMP rallying around the member in question to the point of overkill..(oops,no pun intended)
Are the RCMP throwing up a wall?
And why would his brother drive all the way from Vancouver Island... in a police car?
Obviously,considerable resources are being spent on this, as does seem to be normal.
Guess who is paying for that?
I guess my question is,who rallies around the family?
They have access to very little, when the RCMP has access to whatever they want.
So who has the advantage?
The bias seems to be to the cop come hell or highwater,and I have seen that many times before.
I am uncomfortable with that.
I am not saying the cop is in the right or in the wrong, because in all fairness,we don't know that yet.
Just that the process does seem to be skewed in Brewer's favour.
We saw the same format at the Ian Bush inquest.
Intimidation of all those involved perhaps?
So how is that fair and just?
The truly mind blowing part is that this happened because somebody didn't like the dead guy's mannerisms or name?
Something set this guy off, if we are to believe the cops version of events.
What was it and why?
Are we missing some dialogue between Lewis and Brewer?
And who rallies around Lewis's rights as a citizen, camped out in a runaway lane on crown land and bothering no one?
Are we all in danger if we do the same?
Seems there is little doubt to the outcome of this but that comes as no suprise.

Posted by: chillin on June 5 2008 10:34 AM

You think we'll ever know the whole truth? Not likely!

And of course the bias is on the cop. He shot an unarmed naked man doing nothing wrong, even by his own admission.

Why was Brewer even there? They received a complaint for what? Camping on crown land? Shot in the chest and left for dead. NICE . If he wasn't hurt that bad why did Brewer say he tried but couldn't carry him out.
Answers we'll never get.

Like the Ian Bush Murder, What in God's name happened there. We'll never know even after it was proven that it could not have happened the way the crown says it did. Shot in the back of the head by a rookie cop two weeks out of the academy. Constable Paul Koester is still a cop with the Kamloops detachment.

How about the Kevin St Arnaund murder in Vanderhoof. Unarmed laying on his back shot from a distance of no more than four feet. Cop still on active duty.

Being an R.C.M.P officer once meant you where to protect and serve your fellow man/woman and wear that uniform with great pride as many had done before you. Now who will protect us from YOU?

Posted by: Harbinger on June 5 2008 11:07 AM

The cop handcuffed him to a tree? Couldn't the cop drag him to the police car and arrange to meet an ambulance somewhere? Like in the movies?

Posted by: Harbinger on June 5 2008 11:10 AM

The picture of the handcuffed person on the local news had a coat and maybe a shirt on. Did the cop let the dead guy get dressed before they fought?

Posted by: s8fsj on June 5 2008 12:25 PM

My question is simply... did he come out of the tent naked? If so why would he have taken off? I mean you run from the cops and fight them off, and (assuming this is a correct statement) reach for the cops gun I think this cop had good reason to think somethign was wrong in the end.
I mean it turns out he didn't want to be found, and he most likely woudn't have given teh cop his license cause he would have found out who he was, so would have taken off anyways if he did ask for license and registration, but still...
DON"T RUN AWAY FROM COPS!!! THEY DON'T LIKE IT AND IT WILL LIKELY END BAD FOR YOU!!!

Posted by: lostfaith on June 5 2008 1:09 PM

Some times it may be wise to run away, judging from history.
Just be sure to run faster than the person chasing you.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on June 5 2008 2:06 PM

Good point lostfaith!
;-)

Posted by: tinyapplecork on June 5 2008 3:17 PM

It seems to me that the inquest process is heavy on representation for the RCMP and severely lacking for the family.
I think that Cst. Brewer probably was more focused on getting the guy in custody and did everything he thought at the time to do so, rightly or wrongly. I think the officer probably could have used more training on human relations whereby those skills would diffuse a situation. I think this training should be mandatory for all RCMP. I also think the Cst's service in the military is relevant. It gives insight into how this man's previous training and training as an RCMP officer mesh with his thought process on that tragic day. I am guessing that it is entrenched in the Cst's psyche to get a suspicious person in custody, and sort it out in the office with his superiors. I don't think that anyone is withholding evidence or facts. Truth is relative to how one experience's it. Hopefully, what will come from this inquest is more communication training, a balanced method for families to access inquests to eliminate bias or perception of bias, and the pairing of rookie officers with a senior member. Funding for this could come from the money spent on inquest lawyers. There should be, imo, inquest lawyers available for both RCMP,(or whatever agency) and the public.
I think that most people do the best they can. Cst. Brewer's voice on the tape I heard on Global news, was clearly shaken. The situation obviously got out of hand. My sincerest empathy for both families.

Posted by: MrPG on June 5 2008 3:41 PM

Very well written, cork. We need more of that kind of post on here, rather than the 'hang 'em high' mentality you see so often.

Posted by: heidi1555 on June 5 2008 8:17 PM

lmorg is that you?

It's funny lostfaith that it appears when the whole truth doesn't come out we get these silly little white lies (IMO) that don't make any sense at all...little do they know and maybe will someday know by learning from Sheremetta it doesn't always work out as planned.(snicker snicker)

Posted by: chilako-pete on June 5 2008 10:19 PM

Court records show Lewis, a U.S. citizen, was charged with assaulting Whistler RCMP Const. Chris Palmquist on June 10, 2005.

Crown prosecutor Arlene Loyst, who handled the case, said in an interview that Palmquist was assaulted as he tried to arrest Lewis on an immigration warrant.

"He punched the officer in the arm several times in an attempt to get free and he kicked the police officer in the groin area," said Loyst. "The officer had abrasions on one of his knees and two badly sprained fingers. I think it interfered with his regular duties."

Lewis served 20 days in pre-trial custody and pleaded guilty on June 30, 2005, receiving a one-day jail sentence.

Vancouver Sun, August 17, 2006

By all accounts Lewis was an anti-social police hater who was also a martial artist.He bit off more than he could chew here. He certainly wasn't just some innocent camper in the woods.Thank you Cst.Brewer for putting your life on the line for our safety. Don't worry about comments from people like Heidi.Nothing makes any sense to her.

Posted by: pisspulper on June 6 2008 4:30 AM

"Crown prosecutor Arlene Loyst, who handled the case, said in an interview that Palmquist was assaulted as he tried to arrest Lewis on an immigration warrant."

Wonder whatever happened in regards to that warrant. Was he supposed to be deported? Seems slipping through the cracks wasn't in his favor.

Posted by: Harbinger on June 5 2008 11:10 AM
The picture of the handcuffed person on the local news had a coat and maybe a shirt on. Did the cop let the dead guy get dressed before they fought?

Absolutely not. In the time that Cst. Brewer was away, Mr. Lewis took it upon himself to avoid the indignity of being found dead naked. With merely minutes to live he found the strength to pull a Mindfreak act. He merely had a small hole in his chest and a perforated lung.

Posted by: heidi1555 on June 6 2008 7:24 AM

chilako-pete i'll just copy/paste what I said to Raparee a few articles back. Maybe this comment will register:

"Not at all what I was thinking. If Mr. Lewis was in the wrong I still would want Constable Brewer on a long leave. NOtice how i said hand over the gun not badge. I don't think men/women who served across seas should come home and be police officers. I think they served their time and should get out for good. Find a weaponless job.

When unarmed people are being killed that's when I think the shooter is wrong for the job.
Constable Brewer could've taken note of the man and gone in with some backup like he did to recreate the event. Seemed to have guys come from all over to cover his back then. Why couldn't they cover his back when it was really necesarry? By the look of the picture Mr. Lewis had a lot of firewood stacked up and would probably take him a full days work to remove it if not more. Constable Brewer had plenty of time to respond with some help but no these young rookie cops feel they can handle things and enter a situation creating a death."

Posted by: chilako-pete on June 6 2008 8:13 AM

Heidi: You continue to mystify all with your simplistic view of the dangers police officers face on a daily basis. Police all across Canada have thousands of contacts with the public everyday without incident.There is no way to predict how something is going to go when you are simply approaching a tent? When everything went off the rails in short order it would not have mattered if backup was one km away let alone 37 kms. You have to get over this unarmed concept.An empty handed assailant can be just as deadly as one possessing a weapon.Police can use deadly force if they feel that they or any member of the public are about to suffer death or grievous bodily harm. As for the military issue, well I guess you would have to fire the thousands of well adjusted, productive police officers across North America who have served their country. Lets face it Heidi, you and the others here just want to see this officer burned at the stake no matter what happened on the hillside.Lewis was the author of his own misfortune.Have a good weekend.

Posted by: heidi1555 on June 6 2008 8:28 AM

These shooting officers made simple situations into dangerous ones. Why?
Me myself i'd never enter someones campsite alone. Why? Because I don't want to be hurt.Easy. This officer should never have went in alone..Yes very simple. He'd be out of the spotlight right now if he thought before he entered this campsite. Is it he didn't want to look weak? Is he not allowed to say, "Hey guys this situation is unknown I don't want to enter it alone. I'd like some backup." Why do things need to be made so hard? You can't say they are short staffed because he had lots of guys come out to the scene afterwards. I'm sure there could've been at least one he could've called for help before it turned into a dangerous situation. Before being keyword.

Posted by: MrPG on June 6 2008 10:59 AM

Great posts, chilako. Heidi, you're out in left field on this one. You clearly haven't got a clue what these men and women face on a daily basis. If the officer had backup, there's no guarantee the result would have been any different.

If you choose to resist a police officer, you are chancing bodily harm or worse in Mr. Lewis' case.

Posted by: heidi1555 on June 6 2008 2:17 PM

Keep making excuses "MrPG" and things won't change. I'm not talking about what these men and women face on a daily basis...I don't care about that at this moment. I care about the people dying. There are other ways to handle these types of situations and if they don't teach you that in that short RCMP course then you all have a problem.

Posted by: heidi1555 on June 6 2008 2:17 PM

I wonder what Mr. Watts thinks about this case?

Posted by: heidi1555 on June 6 2008 2:58 PM

One more thing then i'm off for my good weekend. I found these comments:

"The usual "believe whatever the cops say" people will post here and say he shouldn't have run from the cops. So he deserved to die??

I would have thought that it would have to be a serious crime before any sensible sober human being would let a confrontation over such a trivial problem escalate to that point. Illegal camping and running away just aren't that serious. No way.

Very very unprofessional conduct for any law enforcement officer. If the guy ran hes off hes no longer camping on private property and the cops have all his gear. Crime solved and punishment dealt.

To let it escalate this far makes as much sense as taser an 82 year old guy in a hospital bed or an elderly guy in his pickup for a parking offence. The police are going downhill fast here in Canada and approaching the USA where 12 year olds have been shot by the cops for running away from petty crime .

Shame on the police who are losing the respect of the citizens that pay their wages. Their training must be horrible because they seem to be bungling simple problems day after day."

"How does an investigation of "a suspicious man illegally camping" escalate to a shooting death?

If the officer felt there was a threat of violence, call for assistance before pursuing. If the camper fled his campsite, investigate the scene, collect evidence, call for support and systematically net the suspect. A wild pursuit, followed by a violent encounter, and finally use of a firearm on an unarmed person, seems to me rather incompetent policing."

"AnotherPerspective, I can't believe you're making (weak) excuses for the cop who murdered this poor guy.

YOU are the one who apparently didn't read -- or at least didn't comprehend -- the story. The cop had to CHASE THE GUY DOWN to "fight" him, and then beat him with a baton, pepper sprayed him, shot him, and handcuffed him to a tree, where he died...

All of this for simply "camping in the wrong place."

This is a disgrace, and it's a sad thing that there are those who are so submissive in the presence of "authority" that they defend any such cowardly, shameful actions."

Posted by: Chester on June 6 2008 6:59 PM

The bottom line is that this fellow died because he had no respect for authority. We put people in places of authority for a reason. Those who prefer to challenge that take their chances. Chester

Posted by: tinyapplecork on June 7 2008 2:42 AM

heidi1555 wrote:"If the officer felt there was a threat of violence, call for assistance before pursuing. If the camper fled his campsite, investigate the scene, collect evidence, call for support and systematically net the suspect. A wild pursuit, followed by a violent encounter, and finally use of a firearm on an unarmed person, seems to me rather incompetent policing."

Obviously, a naked unarmed man running from a police officer is not really a threat and I highly doubt any police officer is gonna call for back up in regards to a foot chase that has now become resisting arrest.
"YOU are the one who apparently didn't read -- or at least didn't comprehend -- the story. The cop had to CHASE THE GUY DOWN to "fight" him, and then beat him with a baton, pepper sprayed him, shot him, and handcuffed him to a tree, where he died..."

The take down and arrest escalated. The man was assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

When exactly did this officer have time to call for backup? When the guy bolted? When the man assaulted the officer? Unreasonable expectations imo. I do not believe in this case the shooting was avoidable. Maybe the cop should've tased him instead. But if the man went for my gun I would probably shoot him too. I certainly wouldn't have let the man take off naked into the bush.

Posted by: heidi1555 on June 7 2008 8:05 AM

Weren't my comments tiny.