Two police officers charged in the fatal shooting of a New Brunswick businessman they mistakenly thought was involved in the drug trade won’t find out until next year whether their case will go to trial.
READ MORE: Preliminary hearing underway for Bathurst police officers accused in Michel Vienneau death
Constables Mathieu Boudreau and Patrick Bulger of the Bathurst Police Force were charged with manslaughter after Michel Vienneau, 51, was shot near the city’s train station in January of 2015.
The pair were conducting a drug investigation. But the RCMP later said its review found Vienneau, who owned an electronics store in Tracadie-Sheila, N.B., was not involved in criminal activity.
Following an earlier preliminary hearing, a judge was supposed to rule Thursday on whether the two would be committed to stand trial on the charges, which also include assault with a weapon and unlawfully pointing a firearm.
READ MORE: Manslaughter charges laid against two Bathurst police officers in Michel Vienneau shooting
However, the case was adjourned on Monday and will now proceed on Feb. 24. The court office says the adjournment was decided by the judge and not requested by Crown or defence attorneys.
Bulger, 38, and Boudreau, 26, have elected to be tried by a judge and jury if committed to stand trial.
A lawsuit filed by Vienneau’s common-law partner, Annick Basque, alleges that his death was caused by police negligence.
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In response to Basque’s lawsuit, the City of Bathurst filed a statement of defence saying the officers were investigating whether the couple were in possession of illegal drugs after returning from a trip to Montreal.
The statement also says the officers clearly identified themselves to Vienneau and had tried to stop his vehicle before it accelerated, pinning an officer against a snowbank. It says one officer fired at the car as it moved toward his colleague.
READ MORE: Man fatally shot by Bathurst police identified as Michel Vienneau
None of the lawsuit’s allegations or statement of defence has been proven in court.
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