Racist refused aid to dying man

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Carney Nerland refused to let a passer-by telephone an ambulance from his Prince Albert gun shop from the Native man shot by the white-power leader, an inquiry heard.

Kim Korroll, who was driving past Nerland's store just after the shooting of Leo Lachance, testified he saw the 48-year-old Cree trapper "go down violently" after being shot through the door.

"He went down like he had a heart attack or something - that was my initial reaction," the Prince Albert city employee told the three-member commission investigating the shooting.

Korroll said he ran into Nerland's gun shop and asked to use the phone. Nerland refused and Korroll said he had to run another block to a pay phone to call for help.

Korroll's testimony came on the fist day of an inquiry into how the policy and justice system handled the shooting. Nerland, head of the Saskatchewan chapter of the Church of Jesus Christ Aryan Nations, is currently serving a four-year manslaughter sentence. He becomes eligible for parole in August.

The case has raised storms of protest in the Native community because Nerland was allowed to plead guilty to a manslaughter charge instead of standing trial. Many members of the community believed Nerland got an easy ride from the justice system. There were also concerns that questions of whether Lachance's shooting was prompted

by Nerland's racist beliefs have never been answered.

The inquiry broke last week for a two-week recess, after hearing testimony from witnesses and police about the shooting.

Korroll said when he entered the gun shop to ask for help, he saw two men with Nerland who appeared to be relaxing with the racist leader. Under questioning from Gerry Morin, lawyer for the Lachance family, Korroll said the bleeding Lachance could

be seen clearly through the door.

Korroll's statement contradicted the story the two men-jail guards - Gar Brownridge and Russ Yungwirth - told police during the investigation of the shooting. They said they looked out the front door of the shop after Nerland fired the fatal shot,

but saw nothing.

Police photographs showed Nerland at the scene of the crime while officers took measurements. Cpl. Bruce Parker said it was unusual that Nerland would have been present during the investigation. He also said some officers on the 65-member force sympathized with Nerland's racists beliefs.

Questions were also raised about whether Lachance was in the store or outside

on the street when he was shot.

According to Yungwirth's and Brownbridge's witness statements, Nerland fired two shots into the floor and one at the door as Lachance left the gun shop.

Police believed Lachance was shot through the door and deemed the shooting accidental.

But a weapons expert at the inquiry said he doubted the bullet taken from Lachance's body could have done as much damage if it had first passed through the door.

So far, testimony at the inquiry has been public. But the RCMP has asked for some evidence to be excluded, fearing that it will reveal the names of informers in white supremacist groups.

Ted Hughes, the former justice who is heading the inquiry, insisted the proceedings the proceedings remain public and refused to give the RCMP blanket permission to produce some of their evidence in private.

Nerland has refused to testify at the inquiry or be represented by a lawyer.

But inquiry lawyer Morris Bodnar is attempting to force Nerland through legal channels to testify.

The inquiry was announced by Saskatchewan Justice Minister Bob Mitchell in March following a year of public pressure.

It will resume public hearings later this month. A final report is expected to be released in the fall.