Family of Craig McDougall hopes for answers as delayed inquest resumes

Craig McDougall's family is hoping they will finally learn more about why he was shot and killed by police in 2008 when an inquest resumes following a three-month delay.

The inquest, which is mandatory in officer-involved shootings, resumes Monday after Judge Anne Krahn delayed it in August due to new witness statements.

"It's not that they changed their testimony. They gave new information that they didn't give police at the time," said Corey Shefman, who is legal counsel for the McDougall family.

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The three witnesses are McDougall's relatives who saw the shooting. Shefman said all three will take the stand, starting with the father, Brian McDougall, on Monday. Shefman says the family has concerns about the way they were treated by police.

"They were placed in handcuffs. They were placed in the back of police cruisers and they were taken to the Public Safety Building where they sat for hours not knowing that Craig had died," said Shefman. 

Shefman said that is just one example of systemic racism, which this inquest will explore.

"This is the first inquest in Manitoba to explicitly consider systemic racism in the death and that also includes the way the family was treated after Craig was shot."

Knife or cellphone?

Craig McDougall was shot and killed by Winnipeg police in the early morning hours of Aug. 2, 2008. Police were already at the Simcoe Street home dealing with a disturbance when the 26-year-old arrived. 

At the time, police said McDougall refused repeated demands to drop a knife and officers had to use a firearm after they could not subdue him with a Taser stun gun.

Family members refute that claim, saying he was holding a cellphone and talking to his girlfriend as the situation unfolded.

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The inquest schedule will be set Monday, but is expected to involve 15 days spread through November and December. Witnesses will include officers involved in the shooting, investigating officers, former Winnipeg Police chief Keith McCaskill, two Taser experts and an expert on systemic racism. 

Shefman said extra days will be added to the inquest schedule to accommodate the new witness information.

"We will be calling a couple of additional witness and also recalling some witnesses," he said. "We're really looking forward to finally getting Craig's family some answers."