Raymond Alliman died in a shootout with an Ottawa Police Service officer in a Murray Street parking garage on June 3, 2017. The officer was not injured in the incident. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

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An inquest jury examining the 2017 police shooting death of Raymond Alliman has recommended faster inquests and the use of body-worn cameras by all front-line Ottawa police officers.

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Alliman, 31, died on June 3, 2017, after exchanging gunfire with an Ottawa Police Service officer in a ByWard Market parking garage.

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Following an inquest that was conducted virtually over six days between Aug. 10 and Aug. 17, the jury concluded Alliman died at 141 Clarence St. from a gunshot wound to the head and classified his death as a homicide.

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The jury made four recommendations directed at the Office of the Chief Coroner, the Ontario Police College and the Ottawa Police Service.

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It first called on the chief coroner’s office to “strive for a timely inquest from the date of the death” after more than nine years passed between Alliman’s death and the completion of the inquest.

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The jury also recommended that the Ontario Police College collect data from relevant police services, including Ottawa’s, on the effectiveness of the province’s 2023 Use of Force Model.

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Two recommendations focused on body-worn cameras.

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The jury recommended that the Ottawa Police Service deploy cameras for all front-line officers. While that is being done, it added, the service should prioritize those officers working alone and tactical officers while ensuring partnered units had at least one officer wearing a camera while on duty or patrol.

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Ottawa police have already begun deploying body-worn cameras as part of a phased rollout that started in November 2025, though the cameras have not yet been issued to all front-line officers.

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The inquest jury’s verdict was received Aug. 17 by presiding officer Bonnie Goldberg.

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Alliman had been identified as the suspect in two shootings earlier on June 3, 2017. Ottawa Citizen reporting at the time said he first shot and injured Bun Sim before shooting and killing Sim’s friend, 43-year-old Terrence Phillips.

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Ottawa Police Service Const. Aaron Reichert later attempted to arrest Alliman while he was in a vehicle. Alliman entered a parking garage on Murray Street, where the two exchanged gunfire.

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Reichert, who at that point was still the only officer at the scene, fired nine times, according to a report by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit. Alliman was struck and Reichert was uninjured.

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The SIU later concluded Reichert was justified in using lethal force against an armed homicide suspect who posed what the agency described as an “imminent danger.”

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The inquest was mandatory under Ontario’s Coroners Act. It was announced in October 2025 and postponed multiple times before proceedings began Aug. 10.

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Coroner’s inquests do not determine criminal or civil liability. Juries can make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future.

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