Corporal Andrew Michaud figured he and at least two other police officers would die once they blasted open a bedroom door with a strip charge and rushed inside, knowing a suicidal hostage-taker with a gun was waiting for them on the other side, aiming to kill his girlfriend and them too.

Michaud is a 鈥渂reacher,鈥� in charge of getting fellow Emergency Response Team police into places with lockpickers, chainsaws and explosives in his arsenal. He testified Friday (April 19) during a coroner鈥檚 inquest into the deaths of Randy Crosson, 48, and Nona McEwan, 45, both killed by police during the March 29, 2019 hostage-taking in the Whalley house she rented. Crosson used her as a human shield, the inquest heard.

鈥淚 just pictured us going in and just getting shot and us just falling like dominoes,鈥� he said, sharing the psychology of the situation.

Coroner Margaret Janzen is presiding over the inquest in Burnaby, at Coroners鈥� Court. It鈥檚 expected to run for two weeks, with a jury of four women and a man hearing testimony.

The ERT officers took their place outside the small bedroom, with the first in line gripping a shield.

鈥淭here鈥檚 three times in my career where I鈥檝e gone through the door and expected to be killed, and this was one of them,鈥� Michaud told the jury. 鈥淭his is the second. The first time I was not in charge, I was one of the people going through, and it鈥檚 a very weird feeling that as soon as this door opens I鈥檓 going to get shot, and do I get killed? I don鈥檛 know.鈥�

Crosson had already pointed a gun at the armoured vehicle outside and declared: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good day to die,鈥� Michaud recalled. 鈥淗e wants to kill police, gave me a one-hour timeline. He knew in one hour we were going to make that decision. But now, he decides to say 鈥榊ou have five minutes.鈥欌��

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 on the other end of the door,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what we鈥檙e going to face inside. What I do know is that we鈥檙e going to go in 鈥� we鈥檙e going in under his terms 鈥� he knows in five minutes or less we鈥檙e going to come through that door and we鈥檙e going to come at him, and he has a hostage in there.鈥�

鈥淚 said, 鈥榃ell, we鈥檙e going to take rounds going through this door,鈥欌�� Michaud said. 鈥淭he time is ticking.鈥�

The officer with the shield took his position. 鈥淚 said to him, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e number one.鈥欌��

After a lengthy pause, Michaud continued.

鈥淢e saying that to him, that was my goodbye. You鈥檙e going to get shot, you鈥檙e going to get killed. But you鈥檙e going to take rounds on that shield, you鈥檙e going to push in, and we鈥檙e going to get now five feet close.

鈥淲hen you go down,鈥� he said, remembering looking at the second officer, 鈥測ou鈥檙e number two. You鈥檙e also going to die. I don鈥檛 say it.鈥�

After the first cop went down, he anticipated, the second would be 鈥渢he fresh guy鈥� pushing forward.

鈥淚鈥檓 expecting that he鈥檚 ready for war,鈥� he said of Crosson.

Michaud said in his mind after number two gets killed, there will be number three and number four and number five. 鈥淢aybe even number three is going to take rounds, I don鈥檛 know. But at least, up to that point, I know we鈥檒l be able to respond.鈥�

鈥淓verybody on that team was aware of exactly what needed to happen.鈥�

The inquest continues.