Lawyers on both sides of the RCMP trial relating to the June 4th, 2014 shootings are speaking out after a guilty verdict last Friday.
Crown lawyer Paul Adams summed up his general feelings, saying despite a guilty verdict, it was a sad day.
“The loss and suffering that resulted from it, and to think that the employer failed to properly equip and train officers to respond to that type of situation I think is a tragedy,” says Adams.
The RCMP was found not guilty of two charges in their trial over violations of the Canada Labour Code.
Defence lawyer Mark Ertel says Judge Leslie Jackson came to that decision after describing RCMP training programs as world class.
Ertel says the RCMP will go over the decision to determine their next course of action.
“We expect to call evidence about all the efforts that the RCMP has made to equip and train all of its members on the patrol carbine,” says Ertel. “We’ll call that evidence at the sentencing hearing and we hope that the trial judge will consider that relevant.”
Adams was asked if he was satisfied with the results.
“We felt there was a reasonable prospect of conviction on all of the charges, but it’s trite to say ultimately it’s for the court to decide whether we proved that beyond reasonable doubt,” says Adams. “Obviously the court did with respect to what I’d call the central charge.”
Two days have been set aside for the the sentencing hearing which is scheduled to begin November 23rd.
