'Not an angry man,' say people who knew Don Dunphy before shooting death
Dunphy was shot by police officer on April 5, 2015 at his Mitchells Brook home
People who knew Don Dunphy before he was shot and killed by a police officer last year say he wasn't an angry or mentally ill man.
On April 5, 2015, Dunphy, 59, was shot multiple times by Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Const. Joe Smyth.
Smyth was at Dunphy's Mitchell Brook home, after Dunphy wrote a series of tweets that criticized provincial politicians.
"He was funny. He was humourous and he was an excellent father," says Beth Wade, who knew Dunphy for decades before his wife, Louise, died and he became a single parent.
The reaction immediately was devastation.- Audrey Wade
"He was such good father to his daughter Meghan. Yes, he spent his last day with Meghan."
Dunphy's death sent shockwaves through Mitchells Brook and surrounding St. Mary's Bay communities. Beth Wade's daughter, Audrey Wade, was at home in St. Catherines for an Easter Sunday celebration when the news broke.
"We heard there was a police presence and a shooting. It was probably about an hour before we figured out who had been shot, and the reaction immediately was devastation," said Audrey Wade.
"People in this area know very much who Don Dunphy was. It was evident he had struggles throughout his last years and to know this is how he left this earth resonated deeply. People here felt it was really tragic."
Before his death, Dunphy was well-known for criticizing the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission. He had been injured on the job, and said he was not adequately compensated.
Who was Don Dunphy?
Who Dunphy was and what he did in the days before his death are questions about to come under careful scrutiny at a provincial inquiry into his death, which is expected to begin public hearings in early January.
Audrey Wade leads a group called the Don Dunphy Community Coalition. It wants to make sure the story of who Dunphy was remains accurate. The group is troubled by depictions of Dunphy as an angry man.
"I think it would be fair to say that he had some frustrations, but in the years that I had known him I never saw anger in him," said Audrey Wade.
"All I really remember is the wit and humour and he's really soft spoken. I know stories of him helping people in the community."
Coalition members also question suggestions that Dunphy was mentally ill.
"I've known Donny for 30 years and I actually remember the day the email [from RNC officer Joe Smyth] came forward in the media and there was some reference to the possibility of mental illness," said Wade.
"I literally shook my head and thought are they talking about Donny? Mentally ill? Nothing stands out to me at all, no."
After Dunphy's death, police reported they found his 22-calibre rifle near where he was shot. People who knew him find any suggestion that he would have tried to fire it at Smyth incredible.
"It doesn't fit the Donny Dunphy that I knew," said Wade.
"Long before he passed away I hear people joke that he was afraid of hunting. That he was afraid of the sight of blood and wouldn't go with the boys when they went hunting."
Coalition formed
Wade said she and dozens of like-minded people formed the Don Dunphy Community Coalition in the days after Dunphy's death.
His neighbours, his friends, they have a lot sorrow and they are left with a lot of questions.- Cletus Flaherty
The group came together to support him and his family, because what they've been hearing doesn't match the memories of the Don Dunphy they knew.
"The community here was really affected. You could sense it in every conversation that you had. People were really … I don't know if it's traumatized or shocked," said Wade.
"We felt that everything that had happened to him was questionable and we knew going forward that Meghan would need support. His family would need support."
Coalition granted standing at Inquiry
Coalition members want to be sure their voices are heard at the inquiry into Dunphy's death.
The group enlisted the help of two lawyers, Cletus Flaherty and Ken Mahoney, who have agreed to represent them at the inquiry for free.
"Don Dunphy's death was completely needless. It was shocking. How could this possibly happen? How could somebody die essentially from putting a tweet out on the internet," said Flaherty.
"We felt that doing it without charging a fee is just the right thing to do. His neighbour, his friends, they have a lot sorrow and they are left with a lot of questions and anger."
In October, Commissioner Leo Barry granted the Don Dunphy Community Coalition standing at the inquiry.
That means the group has the right to call witnesses and cross-examine witnesses that other groups call at the hearings.
Because Flarherty and Mahoney aren't changing a fee, the group didn't ask the province for funding to cover its expenses at the inquiry.
Reports to be released
At the first public hearing of the commission of inquiry on Oct. 19, Barry said he anticipated releasing information to the public by mid-November.
The commission now says the following reports will be published on its website on Nov. 8:
- The undated RCMP investigation report;
- The Aug. 30 report by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which investigated the RCMP response;
- David Riche's Jan. 11 report as independent observer;
- The Sept. 14 report by the Saskatoon Police Service, called in by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary for a review of the shooting;
- The Oct. 5 decision of the chief of police of the RNC on the internal investigation into Const. Joe Smyth's conduct.
Public hearings are expected to re-commence in early January.
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