Daughter of man killed by RNC officer set to break silence at Don Dunphy Inquiry
Inquiry comes more than a year and a half after a Const. Joe Smyth fatally shot Don Dunphy on Easter Sunday
The daughter of a man who was fatally shot by a police officer in Mitchells Brook in 2015 is set to speak publicly about the tragedy for the first time on Monday.
Meghan Dunphy was with her father Don Dunphy hours before he was fatally shot in his home, less than 100 kilometres southwest of St. John's, on April 5, 2015.
He was shot by RNC Const. Joe Smyth.
Smyth visited Dunphy to investigate after a member of Premier Paul Davis's staff flagged Dunphy's social media posts as potentially threatening to politicians.
Smyth told investigating RCMP officers that he fired his pistol at Dunphy four times after the 59-year-old man aimed a rifle at him.
Reports released in November
His account of what happened is outlined in five reports released by the commission of inquiry in November. The reports were written by police and a retired judge, who was asked to oversee the RCMP's investigation of the shooting.
Although Meghan Dunphy has not spoken publicly about he father's death, the reports and her lawyers say she has questions about the investigation and Smyth's account of what happened.
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Don Dunphy's daughter finds bullet after RCMP investigate scene
Daughter has questions
Meghan Dunphy, 27, doesn't believe plain-clothed Smyth identified himself as a police officer when he met her father the day of the shooting, according an RCMP's report.
"She was adamant that if the RNC officer says that he identified himself, then he is lying because her father wouldn't want to risk himself with a cop," says the report.
Donna Ivey, the woman who flagged Dunphy's social media posts as a concern, will be the second person to testify.
The Commission of Inquiry Respecting the Death of Donald Dunphy is scheduled to begin public hearings on Monday.
The first phase of the inquiry aims to establish the facts and circumstances regarding Dunphy's death. Hearings are set to begin each day at 9 a.m. and will be held at 425 Topsail Road, St. John's.
The hearings are open to the public and will also be webcast on the commission's website.