The man accused of killing a Ridge Meadows RCMP officer in Coquitlam last month will be back in court on Nov. 7, but no trial date has been scheduled yet.
Nicholas Bellemare has been charged with first degree murder in the death of Const. Rick O’Brien, a Langley resident.
O’Brien was killed and two other Ridge Meadows RCMP officers wounded when they executed a warrant at a Coquitlam residence on the morning of Sept. 22. The warrant was the result of an ongoing drug investigation.
IHIT spokesperson Sgt. Timothy Pierotti said that the officers became involved in an altercation with a man that resulted in O’Brien being fatally shot, another officer being shot non-fatally, and a third officer receiving non-gunshot related injuries.
The other two officers were treated and released from hospital in the days following the incident.
Persons charged with a criminal offence are considered not guilty until the charges are proven in court.
Bellemare’s next court appearance is what is known as a fix-date appearance. Before a trial or a guilty plea, there may be months of appearances before a judge, many of which will be brief, and administrative in nature. Early appearances see the suspect enter a plea and apply for bail.
Evidence given at bail hearings is covered by a publication ban.
Later appearances will be held to set dates for a preliminary hearing, if one is held, and then an actual trial.
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