The brother of a Windsor man shot and killed by police is making several calls to improve supports for mental health patients as part of testimony on the opening day of a coroner's inquest examining the death of Matthew Mahoney.
Michael Mahoney told the inquest, that at a young age, Matthew had irrational fears, deep paranoia, confusion and other symptoms, and would later be diagnosed with schizophrenia.
He also detailed previous police interactions when the family lived in the Town of Essex and how officers never touched their weapons, despite threats from his brother, instead using de-escalation techniques.
Mahoney also explained how they were told they couldn't get certain treatments until Matthew hurt himself or someone else. That day came when his brother attacked a friend of his stepfather, leading to charges being laid, which resulted in court ordered treatment.
Michael Mahoney told the inquest that his family has several wishes they would like to see happen, including increased training for police when it comes to de-escalation techniques and use of weapons, which he explained made the situation worse for a person like his brother.
Mahoney would also like to see healthcare scorecards to identify understaffed and under resourced hospitals to trigger automatic fiscal and support programs, ensuring people like his brother don't slip through the cracks.
He also told the inquest that they don't want to place blame on policing or healthcare, but they do want to see robust supports.
On March 21, 2018, the 33-year-old Matthew Mahoney was shot and killed following a confrontation with police in the Dufferin Avenue alley, behind the McDonalds at Goyeau Street and Wyandotte Street in Windsor.
Officers had been called for a report of a man carrying a butcher block with knives. Police asked him to stop but he attacked the officers instead. Police tasered the man, but it didn't stop him and then shots were fired.
Two Windsor police officers suffered non-life threatening injuries during the incident.
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit cleared police of any wrongdoing in the case, concluding the shots that were fired by the officers, which struck and killed Mahoney, 'were justified'.
The inquest into the death of Matthew Mahoney will hear from 18 witnesses and is expected to last ten days.
Once all parties with standing have the opportunity to present their information and ask questions of the witnesses, the five-person jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths from occurring in similar circumstances.