“The news release the RCMP issued the following day
provided just enough prejudicial information for the average reader to draw
their own conclusions that the shooting was somehow justified,” wrote FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron in a media release
According to CBC News, RCMP said five individuals came on to a private property
and were confronted by the property owners.
Boushie, 22-years-old, was shot and
pronounced dead at the scene.
“The news release the RCMP issued
the following day provided just enough prejudicial information for the average
reader to draw their own conclusions that the shooting was somehow justified,”
wrote FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron in a media release.
The occupants of the vehicle,
including Boushie, were not known to the property owners and a verbal exchange
broke out resulting in a firearm going off striking Boushie who was inside
the vehicle.
Biggar RCMP have charged a
54-year-old man, with second-degree murder.
Courtney Markewich reports, Family of Boushie, from as far away as Alberta and
the northwest U.S., gathered on the Red Pheasant First Nation Saturday morning
for the young man’s funeral.
Debbie Baptiste described her son,
Colten Boushie, as a “good guy” who liked to help out his community on the Red
Pheasant First Nation.
Boushie’s mother, Debbie Baptiste,
said it wasn’t long ago that her son was one of the men in the community
helping with other people’s funerals.
“We have our traditional ways out
here, how we do things around here. And one of the things [is] when we’re
burying somebody, a fire is lit and somebody has to watch it all night until
morning,” Baptiste explained.
“So my sons would do that,” she
said. “They’d sit out at that fire and they didn’t even know the person who was
laying in there who they were burying, but they wanted to help and that’s how
they’d help out.”
This time the fire was lit for her
son, who Baptiste said was a well-educated and caring young man.
Family from as far away as Alberta and
the northwest U.S. gathered on the Red Pheasant First Nation Saturday morning
for the funeral of Colten Boushie. (OLIVIER FERAPIE/RADIO-CANADA)
Looking for Justice
Many mourners on the First Nation
said there are a lot of questions about what happened the day Boushie was
killed and how the RCMP handled releasing information about it.
“We don’t want this to be swept
under the rug,” Alvin Baptiste, Boushie’s uncle, said.
“We’re focused on laying Colten to
rest right now but now my family will stand up and they’re ready to support and
rally for justice.”
A facebook event called Justice for Colten has
been made, with a rally outside the Provincial Court House in North
Battleford, Sask on Aug 18th at 9 AM.
Go Fund Me campaigns
A Go Fund Me page was started for Boushie’s family
asking for donations so they could host a proper post-funeral feast and other
funeral expenses.
As of Friday night the Go
Fund Me page raised $8,690 of its $10,000 goal.
While the family’s fundraising
campaign was embraced on social media, another campaign was quickly launched
and shut down.
The alleged shooter’s campaign,
apparently to raise money to pay for his legal defence, reached $1,000
before it was shut down.
The crowdfunding site has a policy
against fundraising in support of people accused of being involved in criminal
activities.
Gerald Stanley of Biggar has been remanded into
custody until Aug 18th, after he briefly appeared in North Battleford
Provincial Court on Aug 11th.
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