Manitoba

Hearing set for inquest nearly 8 years after man was killed by police in Thompson, Man.

A hearing will take place this fall to determine who can participate in an inquest first called almost eight years ago into the police shooting death of a man in Thompson.

Steven Douglas Campbell, 39, died in 2015 after being shot by RCMP constable in Thompson

A woman with shoulder-length blond hair sits next to a man with short dark hair.
Steven Campbell, right, shown with his sister Shannon Heck, was shot dead in November 2015 by police. His family has questioned police accounts of his death. (Submitted by Shannon Heck)

A hearing will take place this fall to determine who can participate in an inquest first called almost eight years ago into the police shooting death of a man in Thompson.

Steven Douglas Campbell, 39, was shot and killed by RCMP Const. Abe Letkeman in Thompson on Nov. 21, 2015. The incident happened after he was pulled over for suspected impaired driving.

Manitoba's chief medical examiner called an inquest into the shooting in 2016.

On Friday, the province issued a news release saying a hearing date has been set for Nov. 20. 

That hearing will determine who can take part in the coming inquest. Groups and individuals interested in applying to participate in the inquest can contact Jodi Koffman, inquest counsel, at 204-945-2852 or jodi.koffman@gov.mb.ca.

Inquiries are called to explore circumstances surrounding deaths in an attempt to determine whether anything could be done to prevent similar deaths in the future.

Campbell allegedly stepped on the gas and hit an RCMP officer who had pulled him over after receiving reports of an erratic driver, according to police. There were four other people in the vehicle, and a passenger was also injured in the shooting.

His family has questioned accounts of what happened provided by police.

Letkeman was convicted in 2019 of criminal negligence causing bodily harm in connection with the case, but was acquitted of manslaughter and other shooting-related charges. His sentence did not include any time behind bars