June dates eyed for inquest probing Steven Rigby's death in 2018 police-involved shooting

Carey Rigby-Wilcox says she's grateful there's now an approaching date for a coroner's inquest into the December 2018 death of her son Steven Rigby.

But she's also "100 per cent terrified" about the week-long process slated to begin on June 21 in Saskatoon.

"I'm going to watch and see and hear things that a mother shouldn't have to," Rigby-Wilcox said. 

Steven, 27, died on the evening of Dec. 22, 2018, in what the Saskatoon Police Service called an officer-involved shooting, though the full circumstances remain unclear. 

According to a police release issued the next day, Steven had a handgun and was reportedly driving a vehicle toward Saskatoon "while making threats to harm himself and law enforcement officers."

RCMP used a tire deflation device to partially disable Steven's car on the outskirts of Saskatoon while city police officers "simultaneously responded to the scene," according to the statement.

"[He] refused to comply with officer commands and fired his gun. Officers perceived a threat and engaged."

Steven was declared dead at a Saskatoon hospital.

"We're really trying to move forward and create a life without my son. Now I'm faced with going through all the trauma again," his mother said. 

'These things don't happen in a vacuum': family lawyer

Rigby-Wilcox said the lawyer who will stickhandle the coroner's inquest has informed her that Steven's encounter with police was captured on video. She said she's been offered the chance to watch the footage before the inquest.

"I would like to do it on my own terms, in my own privacy, not in a room full of jurors and everything," she said. 

The inquest is scheduled for June 21-25 and will take place at the Saskatoon Inn and Conference Centre. By that point in Saskatchewan's COVID-19 reopening plan, up to 30 people will be allowed to gather in an indoor public space. 

Coroner's inquests are not criminal proceedings. Rather, they offer a six-person jury the opportunity to hear details of an incident from witnesses and then rule on the cause and manner of a person's death. The goal is to help prevent a similar death from happening in the future.

Rigby-Wilcox said Steven struggled with mental health and addictions issues. After Steven's death, Rigby-Wilcox legally obtained a trove of medical documents detailing his treatment in the months leading to his shooting. 

Rigby-Wilcox said Saskatchewan's medical system failed her son, pointing in particular to the decision of Saskatoon's Irene and Les Dubé Centre for Mental Health to discharge Steven two days before his death despite documented warning signs, including a recent suicide attempt. 

A doctor at the centre who committed Steven also noted he had recently talked of "provoking police to shoot him."

"[It] should have never gotten to that point," Rigby-Wilcox said of her son's death. 

Brian Pfefferle, the lawyer who will represent Rigby-Wilcox, said that while the inquest is not designed to be a "full forensic audit" of either the police service or the Saskatchewan Health Authority, "there's lot of relevant background information that needs to be presented." 

"These things don't happen in a vacuum," Pfefferle said of police-involved shootings. 

Lawyers representing different parties have a chance to question each inquest witness, as does the jury. 

Scott Spencer, the lawyer best known for the representing the defendant acquitted of second-degree murder in the death of Colten Boushie, confirmed he will represent the Saskatchewan Health Authority during the Steven Rigby inquest.

During a 2019 coroner's inquest, Spencer represented the family of Joshua Megeney, a man fatally shot during a 2016 standoff by a member of Saskatoon's tactical response unit.

Mental health was also a factor in that incident, the jury heard.  

The Saskatoon Police Service said its legal services department will represent the police force during the Rigby inquest. 

"It is standard for officer-involved shootings to be reviewed internally and for comment on the results of the review to be made following an inquest," a police spokesperson said when asked about the results of the force's own internal probe into Rigby's death. 

A spokesperson for the Saskatoon Police Association, the union representing local officers, could not be reached for comment. 

Coroner's inquests typically occur after Saskatchewan Crown prosecutors determine there was no criminal wrongdoing on the part of officers. 

After hearing the evidence, jurors will be asked to choose from one of five categories to determine Rigby's manner of death: homicide, suicide, accident, natural causes or "undetermined."  

The jury will also be tasked with making recommendations on how deaths like Rigby's can be prevented in the future. 

If you're experiencing suicidal thoughts or having a mental health crisis, help is available.

For an emergency or crisis situation, call 911.

You can also contact the Saskatchewan suicide prevention line toll-free, 24/7 by calling 1-833-456-4566, texting 45645, or chatting online.

You can contact the Regina mobile crisis services suicide line at 306-525-5333 or Saskatoon mobile crisis line at 306-933-6200.

You can also text CONNECT to 686868 and get immediate support from a crisis responder through the Crisis Text Line, powered by Kids Help Phone.

Kids Help Phone can also be reached at 1-800-668-6868, or you can access live chat counselling at www.kidshelpphone.ca.