Rodney Levi was a loving family man who struggled with mental health issues, according to his sister Linda. Photo courtesy: Linda Levi
New Brunswick’s Public Prosecutions Service has concluded no charges will be filed against police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Rodney Levi last year.
The prosecutions service says in a statement that the RCMP officers were acting lawfully to protect residents after responding to a complaint about a disturbance.
Levi, who was from the Metepenagiag First Nation, was shot dead by the RCMP on the evening of June 12 in Miramichi, N.B.
A coroner’s inquest will look into the shooting.
Levi, 48, was attending a barbecue on June 12 near Metepenagiag.
The Mounties have said a suspect carrying knives was jolted with a stun gun, but that failed to subdue him. He was shot when he charged at officers, police said.
The province had already announced an inquest into the death of Chantel Moore, a First Nation woman shot and killed by Edmundston police during a wellness check June 4.
Moore, 26, was fatally shot after she allegedly lunged at an officer with a knife.
A coroner’s inquest is a formal court proceeding that allows for the public presentation of all evidence relating to a death.
An inquest does not make any finding of legal responsibility nor does it assign blame. However, recommendations can be made aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances in the future.
The two killings sparked dismay and anger in Indigenous communities along with demands for a full inquiry.
More to come.
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With files from the Canadian Press
