Debbie Baptiste, the mother of Colten Boushie, and her son Jace Baptiste leave the provincial court in North Battleford, Sask. on April 3, 2017.Liam Richards/The Canadian Press
Family members of an Indigenous man who died after being shot on a Saskatchewan farm are attending an inquest into the fatal shooting of another Indigenous man.
The mother and brother of Colten Boushie sat in a Battleford, Sask., courtroom Tuesday to support the family of Brydon Whitstone.
Whitstone, who was 22 from Onion Lake Cree Nation, died after he was shot in October 2017 following a pursuit that RCMP say began when they got reports of a man being chased and shot at in North Battleford.
Jace Baptiste, Boushie’s brother, says they wanted to support the Whitstone family in the same way people supported them during the trial for Gerald Stanley.
Stanley was acquitted in Boushie’s death after he testified he shot the 22-year-old accidentally when a group of young people came on to his farm.
Debbie Baptiste, Boushie’s mother, said Whitstone’s mother is going through a hard time and wants justice for her son, much like she did.
The inquest into Whitstone’s death heard that a passenger in the vehicle saw Whitstone put his right hand into his pants after he was told to get out of the car even though he didn’t have a weapon.
Amanda Wahobin told the inquest she doesn’t know why he did that.
An RCMP officer had drawn his firearm, and when he saw Whitstone appear to reach for what he thought was a weapon, he fired twice. One bullet entered Whitstone’s abdomen and the other his chest.
RCMP Const. Matthew McKay, who was on patrol that evening, told the inquest he followed the sedan Whitstone was in because it matched the description of one involved in a possible drive-by shooting. He said he called for backup when the car failed to stop.
McKay said the car crashed into two police vehicles and was badly damaged before it finally came to rest.
Paramedic Richard Kenkel responded to the scene and told the inquest Whitstone had no pulse and was not breathing when he arrived.
He found Whitstone lying on his back on the ground, with his hands handcuffed above his head. He said an officer was doing compressions on Whitstone at the time. Whitstone had lost a copious amount of blood and was declared dead in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, he said.
An investigation by Regina police determined no criminal charges should be filed against the officer who fired the shots.
The inquest is expected to conclude Friday.