The BC Coroners Service will investigate the death of Angus David Mitchell who was shot by police in Maple Ridge in May.
Mitchell, 26, died at Royal Columbian Hospital on May 30 hours after being surrounded by police near 132nd Avenue, where a full-fledged gun battle with the RCMP’s emergency response team took place prior to his arrest.
Police tried to talk Mitchell out of his car but he would not cooperate.
He was killed a few hours after RCMP issued a warning asking the public to be on the lookout for his green Aerostar van.
Mitchell was wanted by police for shooting his former landlord in Burnaby and was also a person of interest in the fatal shooting of two persons in a Burnaby sushi restaurant.
The B.C. Coroners Service is mandated to hold an inquest into the death of a person who dies while detained by or in the custody of a peace officer.
The chief coroner has determined that the circumstances of Mitchell’s death and issues which have been raised in the case can best be explored through the inquest process.
An inquest is a formal process that allows for public presentation of evidence relating to a death.
At the inquest, a presiding coroner and a jury will hear evidence from subpoenaed witnesses to determine the facts surrounding this death.
While the jury may not, by law, make any findings of legal responsibility, it will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances in the future.
Vancouver Police are conducting an external examination of the shooting and the circumstances leading up to it.
The timing of the inquest will depend in large part on how quickly that external review is completed.
A presiding coroner will be named, and a date and place for the inquest will be announced as soon as determined.
