Accused OPP shooter was out on bail due to Indigenous identity
A man who is accused of killing an Ontario Provincial Police officer while out on bail for previous alleged violent offences had been set free from jail primarily because he is Indigenous, a transcript of his bail review hearing shows.
Federal law requires judges to pay particular attention to the circumstances of Indigenous offenders at sentencing, in an attempt to reduce disproportionate rates of incarceration among Indigenous peoples. The Supreme Court and other courts have extended that principle to bail and other court proceedings.
