A date has been set for the inquest into the death of a man brandishing a toy gun who was shot by police in New Liskeard in 2020.
John-Paul George was 42 when he died after being shot by OPP officers at a New Liskeard home in April 2020.
Regional supervising coroner Dr. Harry Voogjarv has announced that the inquest into George's death will start at 9:30 a.m. on May 27. Etienne Esquega is the presiding officer, and the inquest counsel being Uko Abara and Carolyn Leach.
The inquest is mandatory under the Coroner's Act and will examine the circumstances around George's death. It's expected to last five days and include about 10 witnesses
"The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths," reads the news release from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
George died in hospital on April 9, 2020.
On that night, police responded to a home invasion involving a man with a gun and a possible hostage situation, according to the SIU report.
Officers heard shouting upstairs and yelled for people to come down. A man appeared at the top of the stairs, yelling obscenities at police and was carrying what police believed to be a handgun.
He started walking down the stairs and with an outstretched arm and gun pointed at police. Six of the five gunshots fired by police hit George, who was declared dead at the hospital. The SIU report also says that George had various drugs in his system.
The gun that George brandished was found at the scene and determined to be a toy.
One person was found unharmed in an upstairs bedroom.
The inquest is being held virtually. When it starts, it can be watched live here.
