Desmond Fatality Inquiry provides insight into tragic murder/suicide
On January 3, 2017 the bodies of Shanna, Aaliyah, Brenda and Lionel Desmond were found in the Desmond home in Monastery, Nova Scotia.
It is believed that Lionel shot his wife Shanna Desmond, his mother Brenda and his daughter Aaliyah to death before turning the gun on himself.
Lionel, a veteran soldier who served in Afghanistan, purchased a semi-automatic rifle the day the murder/suicide took place.
The Desmond Fatality Inquiry has been taking place since May 2019 in the Nova Scotia provincial courts with Honourable Warren K. Zimmer presiding.
The goal of the inquiry is to clearly determine the circumstances of these deaths, whether the family had adequate access to mental health care, and other elements of the tragedy.
Recent Desmond Fatality Inquiry Updates
How Lionel Desmond was able to gain access to a semi-automatic rifle is under investigation.
Dr. Paul Smith participates in the inquiry and shares why he signed a medical form approving Lionel Desmond to obtain a firearm in 2016:
The doctor did not think he was the final decision maker in whether or not Lionel Desmond could possess a firearm. Read more about that on CTV’s article here.
Dr. Paul Smith also speaks of how PTSD sufferers are treated poorly in Canada. You can read more about that in The Chronicle Herald’s article here.
If the operations manager of the Provincial Firearms Office in New Brunswick stated that if she knew more about Lionel Desmond, he would not have been granted a gun license. Read more about that in CTV’s article here.
How to stay current with the Desmond Fatality Inquiry
For more information, and to stay up to date on the inquiry’s progress, follow these sources:
Desmond Fatality Inquiry Official Website
A live webcast and more information on the inquiry is available at the Desmond Fatality Inquiry official website.
News Outlets
Below are links to coverage of the inquiry from different news sources:
#DesmondInquiry
Follow #DesmondInquiry on Twitter.
Shanna Desmond – a woman we honour
Shanna Desmond is one of the women we honour who have fallen at the hands of their intimate partner.
For more information and to read her story, click here.