The coroners inquest into the 2021 police shooting death of Tla-o-qui-aht’s Julian Jones continued for a fourth day in a Port Alberni courtroom On Friday, Aug. 21. The seven-member jury heard from a forensic toxicologist who testified regarding samples of blood and other body fluids collected from Mr. Jones during a March 4, 2021 autopsy.
The results showed that Mr. Jones had both alcohol and cannabis in his system. The ethanol (alcohol from beverages) was slightly above the .08 BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration), Canada’s legal limit for operating a vehicle. Mr. Jones, at .085 BAC was said to have a moderate level of alcohol in his system at the time of death.
Mr. Jones’ toxicology report showed that he had consumed cannabis sometime before his death. John Lucas Jr. confirmed that he and his brother had been hot knifing weed before the police arrived at the residence on the night of the shooting.
Dr. Aaron Shapiro, the expert forensic toxicologist, could not offer an opinion on how the substances at the levels found could have affected Mr. Jones’ behavior because there are so many variables to consider.
Following Shapiro to the stand was John Lucas Jr., the brother of Julian Jones, who was in the room the night of the shooting. Mr. Lucas stated there were five people in the house before the RCMP officers arrived. His father was “passed out” in the bedroom, his mother Carol was passed out on the couch in the living room, and the female that called for help was seated in an armchair in the living room.
Mr. Lucas stated that he and his older brother Julian had been in a bedroom hot knifing marijuana when they heard pounding on the front door.
“I heard loud banging at the door, they were yelling, ‘Open the door!’,” Lucas stated.
When he opened the door, Lucas said he was immediately pulled through the door and yanked down onto the floor porch. Lucas said he heard Julian say, “Hey, watch out, that’s my little brother.”
According to Lucas, that’s when one of the officers pulled out a gun and fired five shots. Lucas stated that his brother JJ was not aggressive, was not approaching the officers, and he was not armed. After his brother fell, dying on the floor, Lucas claimed the same officer that fired the fatal shots went over and fired his taser at Jones.
“My mother was crying, asking why,” said Lucas.
The response from one of the officers, according to Lucas, was, “Carol, he had a weapon.”
Lucas denied that his brother had been holding files. He pointed out that they had been hot knifing marijuana when the police arrived and had access to knives, but those were left on a table where they had been using.
Lucas claimed that there were indoor lights on in the living room, but the porch light was off. He also denied harming the female victim or holding her against her will. Lucas admitted to drinking alcohol that afternoon and evening but said he was not “wasted”. He said he was “buzzed” but did not black-out.
He agreed that at the time of the shooting, the female complainant was seated in an armchair in the living room and that his father, John Lucas Sr., was in a bedroom and didn’t come to the living room until after shots were fired. His mother Carol was also in the living room.
Lucas, while calm, showed frustration when previous statements attributed to him were presented. He alleged that some of the information and statements attributed to him or from other witnesses were either not true or were twisted.
Dr. Elizabeth Brooks-Lim, a forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Mr. Jones, noted gunshot wounds and taser injuries present. There were six defects from gunshot wounds noted. These are visible injuries that can be entrance or exit wounds.
Mr. Jones had wounds on his upper left arm that shattered his bone along with chest wounds that severely damaged his heart.
She observed three gunshot pathways, however, depending on the positioning of Mr. Jones’ left arm when he was shot, two of the pathways may have been caused by one bullet. One of the bullets could have passed through his upper left arm and then through his left chest and out his back, causing four defects.
She estimated that death would be almost instantaneous.
There were two impact injuries from the taser that were made while Mr. Jones was alive or very near the time of his death. Dr. Brooks-Lim could not determine in what order the taser and gunshot wounds occurred.
With the injury to his upper arm, Dr. Brooks-Lim opined that it would have been very difficult to hold something in his hand after being shot.
When asked if paramedics or other life-saving efforts would have helped Mr. Jones with the injuries he sustained, Dr. Brooks-Lim said, “It was an extremely serious injury. Even with an operating theatre and surgical team outside his door, his chances would be very slim.”
The coroners inquest into the death Julian Jones continues at the Port Alberni Law Courts on Monday, August 24.
