The family doctor of an RCMP officer who died by suicide says the Mountie had no thoughts of taking his own life in the 16 years he was his patient.
Dr. Cameron Smith told an inquest into Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre’s death that he had prescribed antidepressants and anxiety medication related to traumatic experiences the officer had endured on the job.
READ MORE: RCMP spokesman spiralled downward after Dziekanski case, inquest hears
Smith says Lemaitre was also dealing with stress at home and expressed concerns about caring for his disabled wife, saying she had indicated thoughts of suicide.
He described Lemaitre as a stoic man whose mental health issues began improving, only to worsen when he became the spokesman for the incident where a Polish immigrant died at Vancouver’s airport in 2007 when he was jolted with an RCMP Taser.
The inquest has heard that Lemaitre provided inaccurate information about the confrontation between Robert Dziekanski and four officers, based on statements provided by his superiors.
Lemaitre’s widow, Sheila Lemaitre, told the inquest her husband became more and more anxious when the RCMP refused to correct the information and that she found him dead at their home in July 2013.
The Canadian Press
