'I just want to honour him': Family marks one-year anniversary of Rodney Levi's death
Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of Rodney Levi’s death.
Levi, 48, was living in Sunny Corner, N.B. when an RCMP officer fatally shot him while responding to a disturbance at the home.
On Saturday, his family and friends are remembering him with a series of events.
His niece Becky Levi was living with Rodney a few weeks before he died.
“The fights not over, we are going to see this through," says Becky Levi.
“I just don’t want to see it happen to another family and I just want there to change."
Their family has planned a day's worth of events in Levi's honour.
“We’re gathering over at the school gym and we’re going to be there in solidarity, and show that we’re not just going to sit down and let this blow over. They took a real life, a real human," says Becky Levi.
Rodney was shot and killed on June 12, 2020. No charges will be laid against the officer as the shooting was deemed 'suicide by police officer.' Though the family disagrees with the conclusion.
The officer involved told investigators that he perceived Levi as a threat when he fired.
“I couldn’t believe it, the call I got was, it was a hard call to take," says Chief Bill Ward of the Metepenagiag First Nation.
"He wasn’t a violent person, he was a gentle guy. It was shocking and devastating.”
With the tragedy of his death, Levi's family hopes a coroner's inquest on October 4 will provide more answers - and help them heal.
“I just want to honour him," says Becky Levi.
Especially a year after he lost his life.
The events will continue into Saturday evening with an awareness walk and a baseball game in memory of Levi.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Asking rent prices up 9.3% across Canada, Ontario sees only decline: report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canada's longstanding blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma was harmful and discriminatory, Canadian Blood Services acknowledged on Friday, in issuing an apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community.