KITCHENER - A coroner's inquest into the fatal shooting of Beau Baker is facing more delays.

The prosecutor in the case died suddenly last month. Michael Blain, 59, who was the coroner's counsel on the matter, died Jan. 1.

Cheryl Mahyr, spokesperson for the deputy chief coroner for Ontario, said an official date has never been set.

Mahyr said someone else is taking over the matter and is "getting up to speed" on the case.

The only office that releases a date on an inquest is the chief coroner's office.

Akosua Matthews, a Toronto lawyer representing Baker's mother, told The Record last year that the inquest was slated for last June for two weeks. She is currently on maternity leave.

Baker, 20, was shot in April 2015 outside his apartment on Brybeck Crescent after telling a 911 operator that he wanted to kill himself. He said he had a knife and would hurt others, including police and paramedics.

Baker reportedly moved toward an officer on the scene with a knife.

The officer ordered him to drop the knife before firing seven times.

The province's Special Investigations Unit concluded that the officer was "legally justified in discharging his weapon."

The inquest was initially delayed for various issues, including naming the officer who shot Baker.

Retired Justice Patrick Flynn ruled in 2018 that anonymity was not necessary or justified.

Inquests are public hearings to inform the public about the circumstances of a death. A five-member jury makes non-binding recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths.

lmonteiro@therecord.com

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Twitter: @MonteiroRecord