An inquest into the death of Deep Cove resident Matthew Wilcox will take place next spring, almost two and a half years after he was shot and killed by the North Vancouver RCMP.
Wilcox, 39, died in hospital Jan. 10, 2010, a day after he led Mounties on a chase through Deep Cove and then reportedly approached an officer on foot, prompting the officer to fire on him. The B.C. Coroners Service announced Wednesday that it would be leading a formal inquest into the death April 2-6 next year.
The public, quasi-judicial process follows an investigation of the shooting by the Vancouver Police Department that concluded the Mountie involved had acted lawfully.
Wilcox, an accomplished animator who suffered from bipolar disorder, attracted the attention of police Jan. 9 last year when he began driving erratically down Mount Seymour Parkway, colliding with a number of vehicles, according to witnesses. He then turned on to Deep Cove Road where a police cruiser rammed his vehicle, forcing him to stop.
Witnesses said Wilcox then got out of his car and walked toward an officer at the scene, reportedly ignoring commands to stop and lie down on the ground. He was pulling what turned out to be a cellphone from his pocket when he was shot.
The North Vancouver RCMP, seeking to avoid the appearance of bias, called in the VPD to probe the incident. Officers with that force took 18 months to investigate, finally concluding on July 5 this year that the officer "was in lawful execution of his duty."
The coroners service made public its intention to hold an inquiry the next day, but didn't set a date until this week.
The inquiry will begin at 9 a.m. April 2 at the Burnaby Coroners Court, 4720 Kingsway.
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