April 14, 1993 56 pages

Office, Editorial 985-2131

HALL OF FAME
NHL honors two N. Shore
residents as builders of the
game of hockey.

HALL OF SHAME |

Carson Graham cafeteria
gets fingered for worst

food in national survey.

21

Classifieds 986-6222

NEWS photo Mike Wal

| AIRCARE WORKERS at the North Vancouver station began picket action yesterday to back de-.
mands for a first contract. ‘The BCGEU members want to double their hourly wage. See page 3

“for details.

Drug squad member testifies at coroner’s inquest into Possee shooting

A NORTH “Vancouver RCMP drug squad member said he
‘thought he was‘ going to die the night police burst into a

North Vaneouver basement suite during a drug raid.

Const. John McDougall - “was
estifying, Tuesday at. a coroner’s
nquest. into. the May. 12, 1992
hooting. death ‘of Daniel -Possee,
2; at 129 East 26th St.

Possee,.the. son. of | Vancouver
Whitecaps soccer. star
Possee,' was fatally shot during the

‘raid. by West. Vancouver’, Police
drug squad member Const. Tim
Poliit

While ‘police had a search: war-
ant, Daniel Possee was not’ nam-
ed in the warrant.

‘The police were searching for
>ossee’s sister ~ Kelly | and © her

Derek.

-By Surj Rattan’

News Reporter

boyfriend Justin King.

McDougal! testified the West
Vancouver Police had received a
tip from an. informant who said
that approximately two pounds of
marijuana and a quantity of LSD
were inside the basement suite of
the house.

The informant also said that
Kelly Possee and King had been

trafficking in narcotics from the
house on the night of the drug
raid.

But police only found 15 grams.
of marijunana in the house, worth
an estimated street value of about
$100.

As Pollitt opened the unlocked
door of the basement. suite,
McDougall said that he and other
officers shouted, ‘‘Police, search
warrant. ;

“The next thing I see is the
barrel. of what 1 thought was a
308 Winchester. I bent to see the'
rifle of the barrel pause in front
of my face.

“When I saw the rifle being
pointed at me, I said to myself:
‘I'm dead’,’? testified McDougall.

Danny Possee ‘had been target

‘practising with a pellet rifle when

the police burst into the suite.

McDougall added ‘that he did.

not hear a shot being fired, but he
said he did smell gunpowder.
Possee died after being struck
by a nine-millimetre bullet in the
chest.
McDougall
heard Possee_ say:

testified that-. he
“Oh sh**””

when police shouted their warn-.

ing.

He said he then saw Possee fall
to the ground. He thought Possee
had decided to surrender.

“T see the victim go off to the
right side. 1 didn’t even hear the
shot go off. I thought I was. Bet-
ting shot.:

'

“In that second after ‘(the
shooting), he (Possee) just col-
lapsed. He goes from a kneeling
position, to his rear end and then
to his right side. It was all very’
slow,”’ said McDougall.

“I. got on the radio immediately
to get. an ambulance,’’ testifi ed
McDougall.

Under questioning by coroner’s
counsel John Bethell, McDougall!
said the officers on the drug raid
were not wearing | anything : to
identify themselves. as police of-
ficers. He added that he had only
been with the ‘North: Vancouver

RCMP drug. section for 12 days °

when the incident occurred.
The inquest continues.