BULLETS TO THE CHEST KILLED MAN, TRIAL TOLD

Drug suspect hit by nine shots, pathologist says

Any one of five bullets that struck Hugh Dawson in the chest during a
violent struggle with Toronto police could have killed the drug suspect, a
trial has been told.

Even if Dawson had survived the police shooting, it's likely he would have
been paralyzed from the waist down, Ontario's top forensic pathologist
testified yesterday at the manslaughter trial of Constable Rick Shank.

Dr. David Chiasson, a pathologist who has performed more than 1,000
autopsies, told Crown Attorney AimE9e Gauthier that he found 11 wounds on
Dawson's body, which were likely made by nine bullets.

Two of the bullet holes may have been ``re-entry'' wounds, caused when one
bullet passed through one part of the body and then hit a limb or another
body part, court was told.

Dawson was hit several times in the chest, once in the penis and in both
arms, the trial was told.

Most of the entrance wounds made by the bullets were on the suspect's right
side.

Although the official cause of death was multiple gunshots wounds, Chiasson
said that any of the five bullet wounds to Dawson's chest could have been
fatal because major organs were hit.

Chiasson also testified that he removed four bullets from the suspect's body
during an autopsy performed three days after the 1997 Easter Sunday
shooting.

Two of those bullets hit Dawson's spine and would have likely caused him to
lose the use of his lower body, Chiasson said.

Toxicology tests showed Dawson had trace amounts of the active ingredient
found in marijuana or hashish.

No other drugs were found in his system, Chiasson said.

No alcohol was found either.

SUSPECTED DEALER

The jury was told yesterday that small rocks of cocaine, wrapped in the
plastic, were found in both of Dawson's socks.

The crown has alleged that Shank, in his role as the road boss on March 30,
1997, was criminally negligent in handling the arrest of Dawson, who was a
suspected crack cocaine dealer.

Constable Rajeev Sukumaran, the drug squad officer who was in the car with
Shank as they tried to arrest Dawson, testified earlier this week that he
shot the suspect once in the ``centre mass'' of his body after hearing his
colleague yell: ``He's got my gun. He's got my gun!''

After he shot Dawson, Sukumaran said the Scarborough man turned on him and
started struggling to get the officer's gun.

That's when Sukumaran heard several more shots and Dawson uttered his final
words before dying: ``Okay. I give up now. I'm dead.''

The trial continues.

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst