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Saskatoon

Video showing jury delivering Gerald Stanley verdict taken down from Facebook

A video posted online Friday of a Saskatchewan jury delivering its not guilty verdict in Gerald Stanley's murder trial has been taken down after it sparked "grave concern" at the province's Ministry of Justice on Monday.

Video was taken in courthouse public overflow room trial in Battleford, Sask.

A video, just over a minute long, shows the judge, lawyers, the public gallery and jury box when the verdict was read in court Friday. This photo of the courtroom was taken by CBC before the start of the trial. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)

A video posted online Friday of a Saskatchewan jury delivering its not guilty verdict in Gerald Stanley's murder trial has been taken down after it sparked "grave concern" atthe province's Ministry of Justice on Monday.

The video was removed from Facebook Monday afternoon.

"It is of grave concern that someone would post this publicly. We have referred the matter to the RCMP," said DrewWilby, a spokesperson for the ministry.

Recording the Stanley trial was prohibited, as is the case in most Canadian trials.

Before being taken down, the video was seen around 53,000 times.

Stanley, 56, was acquittedin the shooting death of Colten Boushieafter a tense two-week trial.Boushie, 22, was shot and killed after heand four othersfrom the Red Pheasant Cree Nation drove onto Stanley's rural property in August2016.

The verdict immediately sparked strong reactions and inspired rallies in several Canadian cities over the weekend in support of the Boushie family.

Video taken inpublic viewing room

The video, just over a minute long, was taken in an overflow room reserved for the public on the ground floor of the Battleford Court of Queen's Bench, while thetrial was taking place upstairs.

The room was equipped with TVs showing a live-feed of Chief Justice Martel Popescul, thelawyers arguing each side of the case, the public gallery and members of the 12-person jury.

Gerald Stanley was acquitted on Friday in the shooting death of Colten Boushie. (Canadian Press)

The video begins with the jury foreman reading out the "not guilty" verdict. As people react with shock in the public gallery, Popescularranges his papers and instructs the jurors to remain seated.

Cries of "Murderer!" then follow from the gallery and Stanley is rushed out of the room by a sheriff's deputy, with jurors quickly following suit.

The second half of the video shows Stanley being ushered into a truck outside of the courthouse.

Up to RCMP to lay charges

The RCMPsaid it's aware of the video and has launched an investigation.

Wilby said it would be up to the RCMP to decide what charges, if any, are laid against the person who posted the video.

The RCMPsaid it's also monitoring comments made online about the trial.

With files from Charles Hamilton