Inquest set to begin into death of Onion Lake man

A coroner’s inquest into the death of a 22-year-old man in a police shooting begins Monday in the Battlefords.

Braydon Whitstone died in October last year after he was shot by police.

Following the deadly incident, RCMP said they had received a call from a man who claimed he was being chased by another vehicle while being shot at.

Mounties located the suspected vehicle.

There was a short pursuit that came to a crashing halt when the vehicle rammed into a police cruiser.

At the time RCMP said in a media release that officers opened fire “in response to the driver’s actions following the pursuit.”

RCMP performed CPR on Whitstone, but he died en route to hospital.

The head of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), Bobby Cameron said at the time, the situation furthers the mistrust First Nations people have about the justice system.

Cameron said that explanation left him wondering what led police to shoot Whitstone.

The inquest is being held at the Court of Queen’s Bench in the Battlefords.