Skip to content

Inquest to be held into 2017 deaths of couple shot in Ontario hospital

A date has been set for an inquest into the 2017 deaths of a married couple following shootings in a southern Ontario hospital. During the incident in Cobourg, Ont.
20230809150824-64d3e8229051d0be7fb91a52jpeg
Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg, Ont., is shown on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017. The date of an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of a married couple after a 2017 police-involved shooting in the southern Ontario hospital has been announced. A media statement by the Ontario Solicitor General says 70-year-old William Thomas Ryan, known as Tom, shot his wife Gladys Helen Ryan, 76, while the couple was in hospital in Oct. 2017.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

A date has been set for an inquest into the 2017 deaths of a married couple following shootings in a southern Ontario hospital. 

During the incident in Cobourg, Ont., 70-year-old William Thomas Ryan, known as Tom, shot and killed his wife Gladys Helen Ryan, 76, while the couple was in hospital.

Tom was subsequently shot and killed by Cobourg police. 

An inquest into the man's death is mandatory under the Coroners Act but a combined inquest for both individuals was requested by the Chief Coroner.

The office of Ontario's solicitor general says the inquest will begin on September 18, will hear from 18 witnesses, and may make recommendations to the agencies involved.

The Special Investigations Unit, which probes police-involved shootings, cleared the officers involved of wrongdoing, saying in a 2018 report that the force used during the incident was "justified."  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 9, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Note to readers: CORRECTS TYPO in second graf

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks