Dramatic testimony concludes first week of Berg Inquest

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Jurors heard dramatic testimony from a civilian eyewitness as the inquest into the death of Jeff Berg ended its first week. Sari Fujikawa choked back tears as she described how a uniformed police officer walked up behind Berg, struck him in the head or neck with his service weapon, knocking him to the ground, and then kicked his motionless body twice in the head. The officer then dragged Berg's lifeless body across the alley "like a rag doll". Ms. Fujikawa, the daughter of a Buddhist minister who lived near the scene, told her friends and family about the incident, but the police did not contact her for a statement. She came forward after seeing a poster seeking witnesses to the incident that had been posted by Berg's sister Julie.

The jury heard that Berg was one of four men found in a car behind 4870 Slocan Street in Vancouver at about 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 22, 2004. The house had been the site of a marijuana grow operation and had been raided by police a few months earlier. Cst. Bruce-Thomas, a race car driver in his spare time, rammed the vehicle and smashed it into a nearby garage. After Berg got out, he sustained serious injuries and later died in hospital. Berg, 37, had no prior criminal record, no previous medical problems and had not consumed any alcohol or drugs immediately before he was killed.

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