Coroner’s inquest scheduled in death of Slocan Valley man
By Nelson Daily Staff
The family of Peter de Groot, a man fatally shot by RCMP at a remote cabin near Slocan in October 2014, is hoping to find answers at a coroner’s inquest scheduled for the spring in Nelson.
DeGroot, 45, was shot by police during an exchange of gunfire following a four-day manhunt in the Slocan Valley.
De Groot’s sister, Danna de Groot, is hopeful the inquest will bring closure to a number of questions — what prompted the police response to her brother’s home and why was she not contacted to help bring an end to the police incident.
During a media conference call, de Groot read a prepared statement on behalf of the family describing the families’ concerns including circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting, her brother’s initial encounter with RCMP and the investigation that followed.
“After five years, there remains nothing to show that our brother had committed any offence to warrant police attending his home in the first place,” de Groot’s statement read.
“The complete and utter violation of his human rights that our brother’s death entailed has caused great suffering and damage to the people that loved and cared for him.”
The de Groot family filed a civil lawsuit against the RCMP, which will be postponed until after the inquest.
In 2018, the officer involved in the shooting was cleared by the Independent Investigations Office of any wrongdoing.
That officer is now suing the IIO, claiming the length of the investigation has caused a relapse the post-traumatic stress disorder the officer was previously diagnosed with prior to the shooting.
The date for the coroner’s inquest has not be set.
