VICTORIA - The British Columbia Coroners Service says an inquest will be held into the police shooting death of Craig Ford.
The 49-year-old Nanaimo man was walking through a residential area of the city on June 14, 2016, when RCMP were called because he appeared to be carrying a knife.
A report released in 2017 by the office that examines all cases of police-involved injury or death cleared the officers involved, finding there was little choice but to shoot when Ford repeatedly refused orders to drop the knife and advanced toward police.
The report says Ford had earlier told another officer at the scene that the incident would only end "when I'm dead or you're dead."
Witnesses say they repeatedly heard RCMP members shouting at Ford to drop the knife, before two shots were fired, hitting him in the chest.
The coroners service says inquests are mandatory for any deaths that occur while a person is detained by or in the custody of a peace officer, and the inquest into Ford's death will begin July 27, in Nanaimo.
