A coroners inquest has been scheduled to look into the death of Craig Andrew Ford.
Ford, who was reportedly wielding a knife in a fast food restaurant, was shot by police and died of his injuries in June 2016 after officers encountered him on Country Club Drive near St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.
An Independent Investigations Office of B.C. probe cleared the RCMP member who shot Ford of any wrongdoing in December 2017, but under the Coroners Act inquests are mandatory for any deaths that occur while a person is detained by or in the custody of a peace officer.
A B.C. Coroners Service information bulletin, released Thursday, Jan. 9, said the inquest is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. July 27 at the Nanaimo courthouse.
An inquest is a formal process that allows for public presentation of evidence relating to a death.
Presiding coroner Michael Egilson and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding this death, the bulletin noted.
The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances. While the jury will also certify the identity of the deceased and how, where, when and by what means death occurred, they will not make any finding of legal responsibility or express any conclusion of law, according to the bulletin.
For more information about inquests, please visit https://bit.ly/37ROhuU.
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