Inquest called into death of 26-year-old Winnipeg man shot by police

Manitoba's chief medical examiner has called an inquest into the death of a 26-year-old man who was shot and killed by three Winnipeg police officers in January.

Chad Williams was killed after a brief pursuit that ended in a vacant, enclosed lot on Sherbrook Street just before 8 p.m. on Jan. 11.

In September, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba found there were no grounds to justify charges against the officers who shot Williams. The police watchdog's report said witness accounts and surveillance footage determined Williams was holding a hatchet, and did not put it down when asked to by officers.

Williams was taken by ambulance to the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg and died the next day. An autopsy determined Williams died from his gunshot wounds, and that the manner of death was homicide, a news release from the chief medical examiner's office said.

Chief medical examiner Dr. John K. Younes called the inquest in accordance with The Fatality Inquiries Act. The act makes an inquest necessary if there are reasonable grounds to believe a person died from use of force by an on-duty police officer.

An inquest is also mandatory if a person dies while in police custody, a custodial facility or a developmental centre as defined under The Vulnerable Persons Living with a Mental Disability Act, or if they are an involuntary resident in a facility under The Mental Health Act.

The inquest will determine the circumstances surrounding Williams' death, and whether anything can be done to prevent similar deaths in the future.

The date, time and location of the inquest will be determined by the chief judge of Manitoba's provincial court, and will be released at a later date, the news release said.