Family of Beau Baker 'deeply concerned' after inquest jury rules his death a suicide

The inquest jury found that Beau Baker, 20, died by suicide with the cause of death being a gunshot wound in the torso.

The inquest jury found that Beau Baker, 20, died by suicide with the cause of death being a gunshot wound in the torso.

The inquest jury made 24 recommendations in total, including ten recommendations to the province of Ontario and two to the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS). Most of the recommendations are aimed at preventing similar deaths and improving mental health support.

Baker was at the time was armed with a knife, was shot and killed by a WRPS officer outside his Brybeck Crescent apartment on April 2, 2015.

The officer who shot Baker, Staff Sgt. Eric Boynton, was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in 2015.

Earlier in the inquest, Boynton gave his testimony to the jury. 

Boynton, a patrol constable at the time, said he received the call about what was going on, and was told that a male had a knife, who was not easy to take down, was threatening to stab emergency responders if they came.

“I was so concerned for the safety of the caller and the public possibly, depending on if he did the things he said he was going to do, that I had had an ambulance put on standby for the benefit of anyone who may need one,” said Boynton.