Saskatchewan farmer not guilty in fatal shooting of Indigenous man

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BATTLEFORD, SASK. (NEWS 1130) – An all-white jury has found a Saskatchewan farmer not guilty in the death of a young Indigenous man.

Gerald Stanley, 56, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Colten Boushie from the Red Pheasant First Nation in August of 2016.

The court heard that Boushie was one of five people in an SUV who were looking for help with a flat tire when they drove into Stanley’s farmyard near Biggar.

Stanley testified that he and his son heard an ATV start up and thought they were being robbed, so he fired some warning shots into the air. He said he then popped out the cartridge, went over to the SUV and reached in to get the keys in the ignition when his gun “just went off.”

An altercation took place between those in the vehicle, Stanley, his son and wife.

Senior Crown prosecutor Bill Burge told the jury that Stanley wasn’t completely up front about some of the events leading up to the shooting, including that the gun went off accidentally. “[The trigger] was pulled intentionally. I’m suggesting that’s murder,” Burge said.

Expert witnesses also testified that the gun was in normal working order and that the only way it could have fired was if someone had pulled the trigger.

Boushie, who was in the driver’s seat and was shot in the back of the head.

An event called “Justice for Colten Vancouver gathering” is being held on Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 700 Hamilton Street.

“When I saw that verdict come out, it enraged me,” says Jerilynn Webster, one of the organizers of the Vancouver event.

She believes this case sheds light on a major rift within our country.

“How Indigenous people are being treated in 2018 and we need to do better, we need to stand up for each other.”

She wants changes in the justice system, noting the all-white jury on this case, even though there is a significant Indigenous population in Saskatchewan.

“It would be good to have a reflection of the actual population and the system failed.”

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