HOUSTON, B.C. - The father of a man fatally shot by police broke down and cried Friday when he was asked about the lime-green wristband with his son's name on it.
"From my side of the family there's no more Bushes," Dawson Bush said outside a coroner's inquest into his son Ian's death. "I have grandchildren but just no more Bushes, or chance for more Bushes, we'll put it that way."
Ian Bush was shot by Const. Paul Koester in an interview room at the RCMP detachment after he was arrested outside the local hockey arena.
The wristbands are being sold in the northwest B.C. community of 4,000 to raise money for the family's lawyer at the inquest.
Bush said even after hearing all the testimony he thinks everything is in limbo.
"It seems to be like 'we sure flock together, don't we.' They (RCMP) just surround themselves in a little circle."
"I'm very angry and I think I will continue to be," said the 62-year-old trucker and carpenter.
"Hopefully some day we can get some resolution of this. I don't know if I'll ever get over it. Maybe."
Koester testified he was fighting for his life when he shot Bush.
Bush, 22, was arrested after he twice gave Koester a false name while carrying an open beer.
The New Westminster, B.C., police investigated the shooting and concluded Koester shouldn't be charged.
Amid a public outcry over the decision, B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said Koester was acting in self-defence.
Bush reiterated what Ian's mother Linda has said all along - that there must be recommendations for independent investigators when police are involved in shootings of this kind.
He said the town's relationship with the RCMP wasn't very good after the shooting.
"Our local community, the people are very unhappy with the actions of the police," he said.
"In my circle of working friends and friends the respect for the police has fallen off drastically to what it was and I know in my own case I don't trust them."
But an RCMP spokesman said the shooting hasn't significantly hurt the relationship between the community and the RCMP.
Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre described the shooting as a horrible tragedy that both Koester and the Bush family will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
"I don't get the feeling that this town is ready to revolt or that it's ready to explode," Lemaitre said.
"Certainly that's not the case. I think people have enough humanity to understand the sadness of everyone involved here."
He said the RCMP believe it is important, both for the RCMP and for the community, that Koester's evidence was heard.
"You're going to have people who will believe Const. Koester's testimony and you will have people who don't," he said.
"Our hope with this coroner's inquest was for everybody to have an opportunity to hear both sides. "
The inquest has been told that Koester's body remained in the room where he was shot for two and a half days.
"That is not unreasonable," Lemaitre said. "It's expected in a crime scene investigation."
He said the police have not found it more difficult to do their job in the aftermath of the shooting.
"The odd time if they're going into a situation where people have been consuming liquor it's to be expected that you'll get one or two comments like 'oh my God what are you going to do, shoot me.?' Again, that's to be expected."
