Jury to decide accused shooter's fitness to stand trial

The man accused of shooting and killing two Fredericton police officers and two civilians will go through a fitness hearing before a jury.

Justice Fred Ferguson said he has found reasonable grounds to appoint a jury to determine if Matthew Vincent Raymond is fit to stand trial.

Jurors will be chosen starting Sept. 30. It's not clear how long the hearing will last.

"As a result of the hearing today the court ruled that the threshold to convene a fitness-to stand-trial hearing has been met," Ferguson said.

Raymond was previously found fit to stand trial, but the Crown asked for a second fitness assessment Aug. 30 because ofutterances he has made and written submissions about his behaviour.

Dr. Scott Woodside, a forensic psychiatrist who examined Raymond, has since handed areport to the court. The contents of the report are under a publication ban.

Being fitto stand trial meansdefendants are capable of understanding court proceedingsand are able to defend themselves alone or through a lawyer.

Raymond is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello and Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie-Lee Wright last Aug. 10.

Whether the trial proceeds will depend on what the jury decides.

Fitness to stand trial deals with the accused's current mental state. It has nothing to do with an accused's state of mind during an alleged crime. Criminal responsibility is a separate matter.