Mother of Jeremy Stephens wants inquest into his death

The familyof Jeremy Stephens, who died after being shot by Summerside police in May, wanta coroner's inquest into the incident.

"There are some very, very serious questions about what happened to Jeremy," Julie Kirkpatrick, the lawyer representing the Stephens family, told CBC.

"What we're looking for now is as many answers as we canhave and as much clarity as we can find."

The Stephens family has said physicians told themthat Stephens had been shot six times bySummersidePolice.

"Gilda [Stephens, Jeremy's mother] and her family feel that what we know so far about the circumstances of Jeremy's death are of great public concern, and an inquest is one very important public vehicle to ask necessary questions and find answers so that similar deaths are prevented in the future," saidKirkpatrick.

Gilda Stephens, said she's looking forward to seeing the results of the independent investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT).

Died following call about motel robbery

The Stephens family attended court in SummersideMonday to take in the appearance of one of three men accused in the robbery that led up to Stephens' shooting.

Police wereresponding to a 911 call about a robbery at a motel inSummersideon May 27.Police say they tracked Stephens and three othersuspects to a nearby house and that Stephens was shot while resistingarrest.

He was taken to hospital and died later from his injuries.

Kirkpatrick said she has contacted the coroner's office to request an inquest.

According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety, the investigating coroner must first complete the investigation into the death before the chief coroner assesses whether an inquest is required.

'He was a good kid'

She's also asked forwritten confirmation from police that the 911 call recordings, video or audio recordings including body cameras, dashboard cameras and police station cameras, and all text messages, emailsand incoming or outgoing phonecalls by the involved officers have been retrieved and preserved.

The Stephens family said Jeremy struggled with addictions and mental health difficulties, and that he had in trouble with the law frequently because of his addictions.

"He wasa good kid. Everybody that knew him loved him," Gilda Stephens said of her son.

Summerside police Chief Dave Poirier said until the SIRT investigation is over, Summerside police won't be commenting.

Gilda Stephenssays she has been told the investigationwill take months to complete.

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