'A lot of questions' after fatal shooting of Don Dunphy, says town manager
People in the St. Mary's Bay area of Newfoundland say they're still in shock and have a lot of unanswered questions after Don Dunphy was shot and killed Sunday afternoon by a police officer investigating a perceived threat against the premier.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer was at Dunphy's home in Mitchells Brook Sunday to investigate a tweet sent to Premier Paul Davis and MHA Sandy Collins.
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Dunphy was shot and killed during the incident.
On Monday, people in his community were left wondering exactly what happened.
Susan Parrott, town manager in Mount Carmel-Mitchells Brook-St. Catherines, says there's a lot left unanswered.
"If Donny was a threat, why would they send in one plain clothes officer instead of having somebody else with them?"
According to Parrott, Dunphy was outspoken on social media on a number of political and social issues.
She added he had a difficult life, becoming a single father after his wife died from diabetes and he was later involved in a serious vehicle accident that left him unable to work.
After that, Dunphy became an outspoken advocate on compensation for injured workers, identifying himself as a "crucified injured worker" in a province "where employers treat injured [workers] like criminals," according to his Twitter profile.
Different outcome?
According to Parrott, Dunphy held a licence to have medical marijuana and was therefore familiar with the local members of the RCMP, who would regularly check in on him.
If Donny was a threat, why would they send in one plain clothes officer instead of having somebody else with them?- Susan Parrott
Parrott said those officers would visit Dunphy and speak to him in his home without any confrontations that she knew of, so she wonders if things could have gone differently if the RCMP had accompanied the RNC officer.
"[The local RCMP] often visited and apparently Donny would invite them in and they would sit down and chat, so having them join together to come in I think would have been of better benefit," she said.
"He wasn't afraid of cops. He could talk to them one on one and he would invite them to come in, if and when they showed up at his door."
Parrott said one of the last things Dunphy did was go out to dinner with his daughter on Easter Sunday.
The RCMP is investigating the fatal shooting, and an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.