Inquest called into death of First Nations man shot by Winnipeg police during robbery investigation

Manitoba's chief medical examiner has called an inquest into the death of a 22-year-old man who was shot by police in spring 2020.

Stewart Kevin Andrews diedApril 18, 2020, afterofficers responded to a gun call on Adsum Drive near Pipeline Road around 4 a.m. A 16-year-old boy also was injured, police said at the time.

Andrews was one of two peopleallegedly involved in an armed robbery one armed with a shoveland the other with a handgun, anews release from the office of Chief Medical Examiner Dr. John K. Younes said on Friday.

A manputting out his garbage said he was confronted by two males who tried to rob him, police said in a news release shortly after the incident. The man was assaulted with the shovel but ran away and called 911.

Police were then called aboutwindows being broken at an apartment building on the same block.

Officersfound Andrews and the teen andthere was a confrontation leading to officers firing guns multiple times, Friday's release fromYounessaid. Andrews was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The teenwas sent to hospital with minor injuries and later taken into police custody.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba investigated the incident and ruled out charges against any officers.

The officer who shot Andrews told IIU investigators through notes and a prepared statement that Andrews appeared to be holding a long metal pipe and swinging it like a baseball bat while taking a few steps toward him.

The officer said he yelled at Andrews to drop the weapon but Andrews refused. The officer said that's when he fired five rounds at Andrews' chest, killing him.

The teen, it was later revealed,was armed witha BB gun.

Andrews' death was thethird fatal shooting by city police involving an Indigenous person in the cityin a 10-day period, following the deaths of16-year-old Eishia Hudsonand36-year-old Jason Collins.

The inquest into Andrews'death was called in accordance with Manitoba's Fatalities Inquiries Act, which requires an inquest whenever a person dies as a result of the use of force by a peace officer acting in the course of duty.

It will determine the circumstances surrounding the death and whether anything can be done to prevent similar deaths in the future, the release from Younes said.

Information about when and where the inquest will happen will be determined by the chief judge ofthe provincial court of Manitoba and released at a later date.