Coroner's inquest called into death of Joshua Megeney, who died in 2016 Saskatoon police standoff

A one-week inquest promises to finally give Megeney's family some idea of the events that led to their son's death after a tense standoff with police.

One-week inquest promises to finally give Megeney's family some answers

Guy Quenneville · CBC News · Posted: May 30, 2019 1:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 30, 2019

Josh Megeney's family wants more information about how he was shot and killed. (Facebook)

The death of a man invovled in a standoff with Saskatoon police two-and-a-half years ago will be the subject of a week-long inquest next month, the province announced Thursday.

Joshua Megeney, 28, was found dead by police behind a locked and barricaded door in an Avenue Q N. home on Oct. 6, 2016.

Police had been responding to a reported break and enter. A tense standoff ensued, according to information released by police at the time.

Officers searched the home, located on the Avenue Q N. south of 29th Street W., and found one room closed. When the door was opened just a crack, police saw an armed man inside with a gun and fired shots.

Police couldn't say if Megeney fired a weapon too.

Police not on trial

Lawyer Scott Spencer will represent Megeney's family during the coroner's inquest, though it is not a criminal proceeding.

The fact-finding process asks a jury of six civilians to conclude how and by what means a person died. The choices are suicide, homicide, accidental, natural causes or "undetermined."

The coroner's jury can also make recommendations to prevent similar deaths, the province said in a news release Thursday.

'It's been almost two years': Family of man who died in police encounter still waiting for answers

Spencer has said there is evidence the bullets that killed Megeney were fired through a door. The family was told there were wood chips embedded in his wounds.

"There is some suggestion he was shot through a door, and that's a long ways away from an individual pointing a weapon at a police officer," Spencer previously told CBC News.

Defence attorney Scott Spencer will represent Megeney's family in the inquest, though the proceeding is not a criminal trial but rather a neutral fact-finding mission. (The Canadian Press)

The inquest into Megeney's death is a discretionary one, meaning that the province's chief coroner, Clive Weighill, was not required to hold an inquest but decided to do so for several potential reasons:

To clarify what caused a death.
To bring dangerous practices to light.
To prevent similar deaths in the future.

After the shooting, the police service said there are circumstances where an officer feels their life or someone else's life is in danger and lethal force is needed.

At the time, Megeney's friends said he'd been living on the streets with his girlfriend, struggling with addictions.

The inquest begins in Saskatoon on June 24.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice says it was waiting for all investigations into Megeney's death to be completed, and for an inquest location to be decided on with the family, before scheduling the inquest.