A heavy police presence outside provincial court in North Battleford, Sask., was “overdoing it,” according to Colten Boushie’s cousin, Jade Tootoosis.
The preliminary hearing for Boushie’s alleged killer, Gerald Stanley, began Monday. Police cordoned off a section of Railway Avenue East in front of court Monday during the day and Tuesday morning.
“It’s overdoing it. It’s definitely an over-presence that doesn’t make it feel safe or welcoming. It makes it feel a bit intimidating,” Tootoosis said.
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Barricades were removed by early Tuesday afternoon, but officers remained in a nearby parking lot and inside provincial court.
Tootoosis said the RCMP told her family prior to the hearing that officers would be present to keep everyone safe.
“What message are they trying to send to the public? Because I know that the message I’m receiving doesn’t feel well,” she said.
Boushie, a 22-year-old man from Red Pheasant First Nation, was shot and killed on Stanley’s rural property in the RM of Glenside near Biggar, Sask., on Aug. 9, 2016.
Stanley pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder the following week, when hundreds of Boushie’s supporters rallied outside courthouses in the Battlefords.
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Two people held up “Justice for Colten” signs on the boulevard of Railway Avenue Tuesday.
Chris Murphy, who represents the Boushie family, stated he was concerned that heightened security measures sent the wrong message to the community.
“Potential jurors are passing this courthouse every day, and so, they see that there’s this massive security presence,” Murphy said.
“And as far as I know, there’s never been any sort of threat conveyed by anybody to anybody else.”
The witnesses and exhibits presented cannot be reported due to a publication ban, which is the norm for preliminary hearings.
The proceedings are expected to conclude Thursday.
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