Hamilton

Hamilton woman has no faith in system after fiancé killed by police

In this video Q&A, Sharon Dorr talks about what kind of man her fiancé was and the glut of emotions she feels in the wake of his death.

Sharon Dorr talks about her husband's death

11 years ago
Duration 3:14
In this video Q&A, Sharon Dorr talks about what kind of man her fiancé was and the glut of emotions she feels in the wake of his death.

Steve Mesic's massive Italian Mastiff is still waiting for someone to come home who never will.

"The saddest part is never seeing him get really excited anymore," said Sharon Dorr, Mesic's fiancée.  But Steve's 120-pound dog doesn't understand that he's gone.

"I'm his pack leader now," Dorr said. The dog sticks to her side no matter what.

The provincial Special Investigations Unit is currently probing the death of the 45-year-old former steelworker.

Mesic died on June 7 after a confrontation with police. After checking himself out of a voluntary mental health care program at St. Joseph's Healthcare, Mesic was seen wandering in traffic on the Lincoln Alexander Parkway by the Upper Wentworth Street ramps.

After telling him to get off the road, two officers confronted Mesic in a grassy embankment next to his home. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says he was shot several times. The official investigation is still ongoing.

In this video Q&A, Dorr talks about what kind of man her fiancée was, and the glut of emotions she feels in the wake of his death.

She and her family have been critical of police response ever since he was shot. They also have little faith in the SIU investigation, says Norm Dorr, Sharon's dad.

"It's just police policing police," Dorr told CBC Hamilton. "There are only three witnesses from this thing — one of them is dead and two of them are cops."

His daughter isn't any more optimistic about getting answers.

"It's tough to go on when you know the system will probably fail you."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam Carter

Reporter

Adam Carter is a Newfoundlander who now calls Toronto home. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamCarterCBC or drop him an email at adam.carter@cbc.ca.