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Boushie family supporters gather as Stanley gun charges adjourned

Mar 19, 2018 | 3:34 PM

Gerald Stanley’s firearm storage charges, which were set to be heard in North Battleford Provincial Court Monday, were adjourned to April 16.

The charges are dated Aug. 9, 2016, the day 22-year-old Colten Boushie was fatally shot in Stanley’s Biggar-area farmyard. Stanley was acquitted of a second-degree murder charge related to Boushie’s death Feb. 9, following a trial at Court of Queen’s Bench in Battleford. Saskatchewan’s Crown prosecutions office said earlier in March it will not launch an appeal into Stanley’s acquittal. 

Stanley’s defence lawyer Scott Spencer spoke to the court via the telephone Monday, saying both he and the Crown need more time to complete their discussions before proceeding. Stanley was not personally present in the courtroom.

According to the provincial court file, Stanley is facing two counts of improper storage of a firearm. One of the charges relates to a number of rifles and a shotgun, while the other was for a Ruger Blackhawk .45-calibre handgun.

Outside the courthouse, several of Colten Boushie’s family members and supporters gathered, many holding signs calling for justice. Boushie’s mother Debbie Baptiste poured a bottle of red ketchup onto the ground outside the courthouse to symbolize blood on the snow. She said there is no justice in Saskatchewan for the First Nation people.

“Shame on you Canada,” she said. “Come on, people. You let a murderer walk away … Treaties are being broken. The RCMP covered up Gerald Stanley.”

Colten Boushie’s uncle Alvin Baptiste said Canada needs to recognize the issues Indigenous people face when pursuing justice and equality. He added he also wants peace.

“I will continue to fight for justice for all Indigenous people throughout Canada, even if I have to take it to the United Nations,” he said. 

 

 

Boushie’s brother Jace Baptiste said he has been trying to move forward with his life.

“It’s a hard, emotional thing,” he said. “Every day we heal a bit; it comes and goes.”

 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW