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The IIOBC in its April 2013 report found the RCMP had not used “excessive force” when dealing with Mr. Matters, and his fatal shooting was not a criminal act. It was not the IIOBC’s mandate to make recommendations, or to examine how Ms. Matters was treated.

By some accounts, Greg had an unpredictable, hair-trigger temper; he was accused in the past of making threats. Days before his fatal encounter with police, he had another violent altercation with his brother, Trevor. An off-duty RCMP officer had intervened and the brothers were separated, but the mood between the two men was tense.

Trevor Matters told the inquest Friday that he knew his brother had problems, but he wasn’t aware how far they reached. Greg had served with Canadian Forces in Bosnia, and was honourably discharged in 2009. His military pension was $123 a month. He lived with his mother; Trevor was estranged from both.

Tracey Matters, their sister, lives in Australia and travelled to Prince George for the inquest. She testified that she’d long known something was amiss with Greg. He began receiving treatment for PTSD about a year before his death, the inquest jury heard. He distrusted police, and he’d had numerous encounters with Prince George RCMP in recent years.

According to the Prince George Citizen, the region’s largest daily newspaper, Mr. Matters had sent a series of emails to one of its reporters just before his final incident with police.

“Mr. Matters left emails and one voicemail with an editor asking for help with his issues with the RCMP,” the newspaper reported. “He said they stemmed from an incident when RCMP officers threatened a family friend and broke into their home… His tone shifted dramatically in the correspondence, from fear and paranoia of the police in one sentence to anger and outrage against authorities in the next.”

Days later, he was shot by police. Lorraine Matters was still under arrest and in police custody when she learned of his death.

National Post

bhutchinson@nationalpost.com