An inquest into a 2023 incident that saw a teen in police custody steal an officer’s weapon before being shot and killed has begun in Estevan. Proceedings began Monday morning at the Western Star in Estevan. Coroner Brent Gough will preside over the four-day inquest. On the morning of Nov. 1, 2023, Justice Guillas, 19, was arrested by the Estevan Police Service (EPS) in connection to the death of a 46-year-old woman, later identified to be Guillas’ mother, Karie Ann. An investigation by the province’s police watchdog, the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), determined that while being processed by police, Guillas rushed an officer inside an observation room, removed his weapon and fired two shots – one into a wall and one into the officer’s abdomen. A second officer responded and shot Guillas twice in the torso. Both the wounded officer and Guillas were rushed to hospital in Estevan and later Regina. The officer later identified as Sgt. Braden Lonsberry was released after several days while Guillas died during surgery that afternoon. According to the SIRT report, an autopsy found Guillas had methamphetamine and cocaine in his system at levels consistent with intoxication at the time of his death. Following the shooting, EPS created a new policy for gun holsters, mandating those interacting with detainees wear level three hostlers, which require three distinct movements in order to release the weapon. The inquest is scheduled to run from Nov. 2-6. The purpose of the inquest is to establish the facts of the incident, including the “medical cause and manner of death.” The coroners’ jury may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future. More details to come...
