An RCMP officer mans a roadblock near the Biggar, Sask.-area farm of Gerald Stanley following the Aug. 9, 2016 shooting of Colten Boushie. (Bryn Levy/650 CKOM)

Preliminary hearing set for man accused in a deadly shooting in rural Saskatchewan

Sep 13, 2016 | 4:03 PM

A preliminary hearing has been set for a 54-year-old man accused of shooting a young man to death on a rural property near Biggar, Sask.

Gerald Stanley’s hearing will start on Jan. 16 and run through Jan. 20, 2017.

He faces a charged of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Colten Boushie.

The 21-year-old, who was from the Red Pheasant First Nation, was shot and killed on a farmyard northeast of Biggar on August 9.

Family members said he and his friends had stopped at the property to ask for help with a flat tire.

Stanley, who is currently out on bail, didn’t appear in North Battleford Provincial Court Tuesday, Sept. 13, but was represented by his lawyer.

Boushie’s brother Jace Baptiste said, because the preliminary hearing is still four months away, it frustrates him to see the accused out on bail.

“We’ll never get to see my brother again. I’ll never get to wake up and have a coffee with him, visit with him, enjoy that quality time,” Baptiste said.

Boushie’s family hired an independent legal advisor, Chris Murphy, who said he will ensure there is a fair trial.

“What my role is going to be going forward is, I am going to, to the best of my ability, communicate constantly with the Crown attorney and with the RCMP to point out if there are any failures in the prosecution and the investigation,” he said.