Inquest to be held this month into the death of man killed by police in northern Ont.
A formal inquest will be held into the death of John-Paul George, who was shot and killed in 2020 in New Liskeard.
Dr. Harry Voogjarv, regional supervising coroner for the North Region, announced the inquest will be held May 27 beginning at 9 a.m.
George, 42, died in hospital on April 9, 2020, after he was shot five times following an interaction in New Liskeard with the Ontario Provincial Police.
An inquest into his death is mandatory under the Coroners Act. The inquest is expected to last five days and hear from around 10 witnesses.
“The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Mr. George’s death,” the Ministry of the Solicitor General announced in a news release.
“The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.”
An investigation by the SIU cleared police of wrongdoing.
The investigation found that three officers responding to a report of a break-in were told by the occupant she believed someone was still inside her home.
Police saw a man leaving the residence carrying what appeared to be a handgun.
“He yelled obscenities at (police), kicked the gate open and began to make his way down the stairs,” the SIU report said.
“In his right hand was what appeared to be a handgun.”
He was ordered to drop the gun, but instead he kept walking down the stairs, pointing the plastic gun at police.
“As the complainant came off the stairs and continued to within a couple of metres of (police), each officer fired his weapon … four and two times, respectively,” the SIU report said.
He was struck five times, including three times in the torso, and died later in hospital, the SIU said. Police fired in response to an imminent threat, the report concluded, and waited until the man was just a few metres away before firing.
The May 27 inquest will be conducted by video conference. Members of the public who wish to view the proceedings can do so live by clicking here.
For more information about inquests, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving “corrective action” for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
'I won't stop,' Celine Dion says in trailer for upcoming doc about her health woes
Celine Dion's fans are getting a first glimpse of the superstar's struggle with a rare neurological disorder in an emotional trailer for an upcoming documentary about her career and life.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Canadian Hurricane Centre says active storm season predicted for East Coast
The Canadian Hurricane Centre is predicting an active storm season off the country's East Coast this year, mainly due to record warm water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.
U.S. senators write to Trudeau asking him to meet 2% GDP defence spending commitment
A bipartisan group of 23 U.S. senators have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his country to live up to its commitment to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence amid concerns that key members of the NATO alliance are not pulling their weight.