A PATHOLOGIST testified at a coroner’s inquest Wed- nesday that Daniel Possee, 22, could not have been poin- ting his pellet rifle at police officers when he was -fatally shot by a police officer. The North Vancouver man was target practising with a pellet rifle in his basement suite at 129 East 26th St. on the night of May 12, 1992. North Vancouver RCMP and West Vancouver Police drug squad officers, searching for Possee’s sister. Kelly and her By Surj Rattan News Reporter boyfriend Justin King, burst into the suite, unannounced. Daniel Possee died when he was shot once by West Vancouver Drug squad arrests six in Burnaby house From page § The house where the drug raid will be executed is located across the street from the store. At 8:23) p.m., one of the surveillance team members radios to the rest of the team that he has Observed someone arrive at the tesidence. Soon, Leroux’s. cellular tele- phone rings. It’s the suspect who tells him to come to the store. Leroux gets on his radio and notifies the rest of the team. “Heads up you guys. Have you got your ears on?"' “We'll let the deal go. He'll (suspect) come to me and sell me the drugs. Then he'll walk back to his house and we'll go in and kick in the door and get the evidence, which is my money,’’ says Leroux. He pulls out of the park- ing lot to make the drug buy. ‘ The police are armed with handguns and two battering rams. But when they get to the basement suite. of the house, they find ‘someone lias opened the door just as they arrive. | They burst into the basement suite and arrest six people. The police later say they were surprised to.find Kelly Posse, 21, inside the suite. . She and her boyfriend Justin King had been the subject- of a ‘police search warrant when North. * Vancouver RCMP and West Van- ’:couver drug squad members made the ill-fated drug raid at Daniel ” Possee’s suite last year. ~ Possee had been target shooting inside the house with a pellet -rifle _ when he was shot.” Police believed he was: armed ., with;a, shotgun. Police said they had information that both Kelly Possee and King had been traf- ‘ficking in, drugs the night of the ifaid. 2. - But ‘on Wednesday, one day in the Burnaby. raid, . Possee’s father Derek denied his daughter was involved with drugs. - -“*T was so angry this morning at ; ‘Kelly as with anyone else. She _ wasn't involved. She was just sit- ‘ting in an armchair watching the * hockey game. . ‘s] find it strange that it was North Vancouver and West Van- ” Michael couver police who went on the raid. She told us she didn’t have any (drugs) on her,’' said Possee. North Vancouver RCMP Supt. Bob Byam denied suggestions, Thursday that the police had set Kelly Possee and the News up in making the drug raid. “That's: so far from the truth that it isn’t even funny. It was just an unfortunate set of cir- cumstances that found Kelly Possee in the house,"’ said Byam. The North Vancouver RCMP and the West Vancouver Police drug sections routinely work together on drug ‘raids because their targets are usually people suspected of drug activity in both North and West Vancouver. Because the people involved in this weck’s drug raid were all from North Vancouver, the drug Squad members went to Burnaby. Potice found a small hydroponic marijuana growing Operation: 25. plants with an estimated street value of $25,000. - AJso found were 17 grams of co- caine packaged individually in 4% ounce grams. for resale at the street level for $1,700 in total; one fully operational sawed-off shotgun; $2,200 -in cash and assorted drug paraphernalia. Charges of trafficking, - posses- sion for the. purpose.of traffick- ing,.. possession of. a prohibited weapon, cultivation of ‘narcotics and possession of a narcotic are being considered by the Crown. Arrested at the scene and fater released were Robert Vesty, 24, Stafford, 20, William Gillespie, 23, Glen M. Schulstad, 22, Kelly,:.Possee, .2) and Shayne Hawkes, 19. On Jan. 16, 1992, Hawkes was. wounded , by North Vancouver RCMP Cpl. Glen Magark during “a report of a break-and-enter at the Suthezvland Bible Chapel in North Vancouver. . Meanwhile as the drug squad members continue to sift through the Burnaby basement suite,: the telephone rings. It is answered by one of the police officers. The “person on the other end is inter- ested in buying some drugs. The police tell him to come over. They sit down and wait for him. index: . 8 Ecolnfo @ Ecitorial Page 8B News Briefs. @ Home & Garden fa Trevor Lautens Mailbox - _ Weather | : Saturday & Sunday, periods of rain, Highs 14°C, lows 6°C. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 j es at Police Const. Tim Pollitt. Dr. James Ferris told the cor- oner’s inquest that RCMP Sgt. Randy Bennett, the officer in charge of the drug raid investiga- tion, did not question him about the angle at which Pollitt’s nine-millimetre bullet had entered Possee’s body. In earlier testimony, police said Possee was shot in the chest. But on Wednesday, Ferris said his examination found Possee was actually shot just behind the eft armpit. Friday, April 16, 1993 - North Shore News - 3 ossee Inquest Pathologist refutes police evidence asserting N. Van man pointed rifle “My evidence can't tie in the relative positions of the other people involved,”’ said Ferris. Ferris’ testimony contradicted that of North Vancouver RCMP Const. John McDougall, one of the police officers in on the raid. McDougall testified Tuesday that Possee had aimed his pellet rifle, which he believed at the time to be a .308 Winchester, directly at him. “The next thing 1 sec is the barrel of what I thought was a .308 Winchester, J bent to see the barrel pause in front of my face. ‘When ! saw the rifle being pointed at me, | said to myself: ‘I’m dead,’ *' McDougall testified. Also on Wednesday, Possee’s father Derek, told reporters that he tas been frustrated with how long it has taken evidence of his son's death to come forward. “Tl think they (police) over- reacted to the situation, It’s been hard for us waiting for the evi- dence to come forth,’’ said Possec. . NEWS photo Miko Wakofleid NORTH VANCOUVER RCMP constables Mark Boland, left, and Marty Blais. were two of several focal police officers called upon to help provide security recently for U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin during their Vancouver summit. . tes oris and pace for su ill set fast t security NV RCMP officers “recount memorable weekend THE RUSSIAN | security squad did not dress as well as the U.S. secret service, By Surj Rattan News Reporter Russian President Boris Yeltsin looked thinner in person. . And North Vancouver RCMP Const. Mark Boland’s heart started beating just a bit faster when Boris and. Bill took a spontaneous stroll to press the flesh with the crowd. The three observations come to mind as Boland describes what it was like to be a part of the massive security force assembled for Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton during the summit talks the pair held earlier . this month in Vancouver. Boland, and about 35 other RCMP members from the North Vancouver . detachment, the security network. Boland’s job was to drive L-2, the second limeusine in Yeltsin’s motorcade. His passenger was the Russian, deputy prime minister. The motorcade includ- ed 40 cars. ' “The further you are in. the |. front of the motorcade, : the ‘,more important you are. Ini- ‘tially,. when I first picked him / (Russian deputy prime minister) ‘up, (Canadian deputy prime joined. -rninister) Don Mazankowski was standing there. “Mazankowski just jumped into the back seat of the ‘car, and.J thought to myself: ‘Who is this guy?,’’ said Boland, ‘He added that he soon learned that while Clinton and Yeltsin were the object of international media ‘attention during. the summit, the real players in the game were both deputy prime minister and Mazankowski because they were .the: ones who actually. talked about financial aid to Russia. “It’s amazing how inadequate you feel around Yeltsin and Clinton while at the same time feeling so overwhelmed at the power these: two have, ” said Boland. He said. there was fever: a threat posed against Yeltsin or. Clinton. during the time “they were in Vancouver. Both Clinton and Yeltsin are afforded Level 7 security, which is the highest level of security. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is given only Level 5 security. Boland said there was just ‘‘an unbelievable feeling?’ at” Van- couver International Airport. on the day both Yeltsin and Clinton left. “T looked around the airport and not one plane is moving. All’: - Clinton) dictate your pace,’”” said ‘Blais. planes . were. diverted to - places like Calgary .and -Edmonton. the Russian - ‘Blais. Nothing was” moving | because ‘you would .be in ‘violation. of their (Yeltsin’ 's and Clinton’ s) air space. “ry thought: ‘This is incredible. How much power do these peo-.’ ple have?,’ ’’ said Boland... Boland “said. he was ‘‘proud”’ to have worked security for. the summit. ‘Another local police officer working . security _ was North Vancouver RCMP Const. Marty He, and. other ‘officers from .the’ North Vancouver detachment, were assigned to se- curity at the Pan Pacific Hotel, where Yeltsin stayed. : Part of their job. was to secure the perimeter of the hotel and check all vehicles going into the underground parkade and check all luggage going into the hotel.: : “You didn’t: know what you were looking for but you were looking for anything that looked suspicious,’’ said Blais. He add- ed that everyone.was caught by. surprise when Yeltsin and Clin- ton decided to shake hands with the crowd in front of the Pan Pacific. : “When we were there, Yeltsin gat out of his limousine and went right into the crowd. It was unexpected and a lot of people ‘ started running... - “Those . people (Yeltsin and