PRESCOTT – The public inquiry scrutinizing the death of Dudley George has lost a central witness to the decade-old tragedy following the death of the former police officer who fatally shot the native protester.
Kenneth Deane was to testify within weeks at the judicial probe into George’s death when he was killed Saturday in a car crash in eastern Ontario, a tragic event the George family said could leave some key questions unanswered.
“We had known from the (criminal) trial that Ken Deane was the one who pulled the trigger that killed (my brother),” said Sam George.
“What we were wanting to know was: Why was he there? Who put him there? We were hoping that he would be able to answer some of these questions when he took the stand.”
On February 25, 2006, OPP Officers from the Grenville Detachment responded to numerous vehicle collisions eastbound and westbound on Highway 401 near Prescott, due to a severe winter storm causing extremely reduced visibility in the area.
The highway was closed for many hours while emergency crews attempted to clear the scene.
At approximately 1:15 p.m., a Ford Explorer was struck by a tractor-trailer unit.
The driver of the Ford Explorer, a Sudbury resident, 45-year-old Ken Deane, a former OPP officer, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The passenger was extricated by the Edwardsburg and Prescott Fire Department and transported to Brockville General Hospital.
The passenger is in stable condition.
The investigating is continuing.