RCMP Staff Sgt. Christopher De Hart broke down in court, admitting he felt "repulsed" by shooting an autistic 15-year-old but feared being shot first, exposing a critical training gap.
During a coroner's inquest yesterday, De Hart recounted crouching behind a cruiser as he prepared to fire at 15-year-old Chase de Balinhard, an autistic teenager, describing his inner conflict between revulsion and fear of an active-shooter threat.
De Hart, a use-of-force instructor, and another crisis-team officer testified they had not received specific de-escalation training for neurodivergent individuals, despite knowing Chase was autistic before the encounter.
The officers felt they had no alternative tools to protect the public beyond using lethal force, and that additional safety information about Chase's autism was not communicated at the scene.
The five-person jury will issue recommendations aimed at preventing similar fatalities but will not assign criminal blame.