Gerald Stanley may be acquitted of murder charges, but two charges of unsafe storage of firearms remain unresolved.
Those charges came up in provincial court in North Battleford on Monday afternoon before Judge Dan O’Hanlon.
Stanley’s lawyer, Scott Spencer, appeared by phone on Stanley’s behalf to request an adjournment to April 16.
Judge O’Hanlon quickly agreed to the April 16 date, at 1:30 p.m. in North Battleford provincial court.
It was a very brief court appearance, with Stanley himself not present in the courtroom. Prosecutor Chris Browne appeared for the Crown.
Even though proceedings Monday were brief, there was still a large turnout of media and of supporters and several family members of Colten Boushie, the young Indigenous man who was shot and killed on Aug. 9, 2016. at Stanley’s property in the R.M. of Glenside.
It was clear feelings were still raw after Stanley’s acquittal of second-degree murder in February in Battleford.
Boushie’s mother, Debbie Baptiste, attended outside the courthouse with placards including one that stated: “Blood’s on your hands, Gerald Stanley.”
Boushie’s uncle, Alvin Baptiste, was disappointed that Stanley did not show up for the day’s proceedings.
“The coward that he is, he didn’t show up for his charges,” said Baptiste. “Racism is what killed my nephew.”
He once again reiterated his disgust with the justice system.
“Our battlefields are no longer in the prairies, but are in the justice system now, in the courts, is where our battlefields are now,” said Baptiste. “We will continue fighting colonialism that still exists today.”
