New Brunswick

Man accused in fatal Fredericton shootings undergoes fitness assessment

The man accused of shooting and killing two Fredericton police officers and two civilians last summer underwent another psychiatric assessment on Friday to determine if he is fit to stand trial.

Matthew Raymond faces 4 counts of 1st-degree murder in deaths of 2 officers and 2 civilians last summer

A man in an orange jumpsuit is led by uniformed peace sheriffs.
Matthew Vincent Raymond, 49, appeared in Fredericton Court of Queen's Bench on Friday afternoon. (CBC)

The man accused of shooting and killing two Fredericton police officers and two civilians last summer underwent another psychiatric assessment on Friday to determine if he is fit to stand trial.

The results of Matthew Vincent Raymond's assessment are expected to be provided to Fredericton Court of Queen's Bench Justice Fred Ferguson by Monday.

The Crown requested the assessment on Aug. 30 based on utterances Raymond has made and written submissions about his behaviour, the court heard.

Raymond is facing four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Fredericton police constables Robb Costello, 45, and Sara Burns, 43, and civilians Donnie Robichaud, 42, and Bobbie Lee Wright, 32, on Aug. 10, 2018.

His jury trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 30.

Raymond, 49, is scheduled to return to court Sept. 19 at 10:30 a.m.

Raymond's assessment was conducted at the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre by Dr. Scott Woodside of Toronto, who previously examined him.

In ordering the latest assessment, the judge remarked they can be done and redone.

Police have said all four victims were hit by bullets from a long gun fired from the third-storey of an apartment building on Brookside Drive on the city's north side.

Raymond is scheduled to appear again before Court of Queen's Bench Justice Fred Ferguson in Fredericton on Sept. 19. (Catherine Harrop/CBC)

With files from Catherine Harrop