Jermaine Carby inquest jury makes 14 recommendations following 2014 shooting death

A coroner'sjury in Bramptondetermined Thursday that the police shooting ofJermaine Carbyin 2014was a homicide, and recommended police explore ways to overcome "unconscious bias"duringtraffic stops.

The five-member jury made14 recommendations, the majority of them calling onpolice to developeffective methods of de-escalation andto choose"the lowest level of force appropriate if use of force should be required."

The jury said theOntario Police College andPeel Regional Police should "develop a method to objectively measure the effectiveness of officer training for unconscious bias, mental health issues, de-escalation and use of force" and that officers "be tested, graded and must meet a benchmark in order to pass."

• Jermaine Carby inquest hears Peel police officer say he had no choice but to shoot

The group also recommended thatpolicework withdiverse communities so that they willbe better equipped to "exercise sensitivity and discretion concerning interactions with the public."

Carby,33,was a passenger in a black VolkswagenJettaon Sept. 24, 2014 when itwas pulled over by two Peel Regional Policeofficers during a routinetraffic stop inBrampton.Hewasshot three times after police said he refused to drop a knife he was holding. The SIUcleared the police officers involved of any wrongdoing last year.

A verdict of homicide at an inquest is not the same as in a criminal proceeding. Inquest jurors issue the ruling when they determine someone is responsible for a death, but they are not allowed to say who bears that responsibility.

The coroner's report notedCarbyhad been suffering from mental health issues, including depression, and had been seeking treatment in hospital just days before he was killed.

• Peel police askedJermaineCarbyfor ID before fatal shooting, inquest hears

Police previouslytestified that the incidentescalated when officers asked Carbyfor his name andidentification and found outstanding warrants for his arrest in British Columbia.

Const. Ryan Reid, whoshotCarby, told the inquestthatthe 33-year-old became agitated, pulled a knife from the waistband of his pants andshouted: "Shoot me, shoot me."Avideo displayed in courtshowed police saying: "Drop the knife, drop the knife," before shots were fired.

Reid testified he was left with no otherchoice but to fire his weapon and would repeat his actions under the same circumstances.

Last Friday, Carby's mother expressed frustration with Reid's comments.

"Even a dog or a cat, you don't kill like that," she told reporters. "How are you going to say that you would have not changed anything?"