Coroner's inquest to look into death of man shot by RCMP in Whitehorse in 2022
Hugh Riffel was killed during an altercation with police at the Air North hanger in Whitehorse
Yukon's coroner has called an inquest into the death of man who was shot and killed by an RCMP officer near the Whitehorse airport three years ago.
Hugh Riffel was killed during an altercation at the Air North cargo hangar in November 2022.
An investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) found last year that Riffel was a former Air North employee who had been living in Edmonton at the time of the incident.
Riffel came to the Air North hangar on Nov. 24, 2022, brandishing a rifle and threatening some of the people working in the hangar, many of whom he knew.
The ASIRT report says when police arrived that day, Riffel — who's not named in the report — walked directly toward police, holding his rifle in his right hand, pointed toward the ground. RCMP asked him to drop his weapon, and he reportedly told police to shoot him.
When he reached approximately 10 metres away from a police vehicle, an officer fired two rounds from a carbine rifle. Riffel later died in hospital.
The ASIRT investigation concluded the fatal use of force by police in the case was reasonable.
The coroner's inquest is intended to determine the facts and circumstances around Riffel's death. Under Yukon's Coroners Act, an inquest must be held into any death that happens while the person is detained or in custody of police.
The inquest will be held in Whitehorse before presiding coroner Michael Egilson and a jury, starting Oct. 6. The jury can make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths in similar circumstances.