Inquest in death of OPP Const. Vu Pham to begin

LONDON, Ont. - An inquest will start next month into the deaths of a provincial police officer in southwestern Ontario and a man who was fatally shot in the same incident.

The inquest will examine the deaths of Const. Vu Pham on March 8, 2010 and Fred Preston, who died four days later after being shot during the confrontation with Pham and another provincial police officer.

Pham, 37, was shot after he flagged down the driver of a pickup truck on a rural road north of London, Ont., and died later that day.

Preston, 70, died after being taken off life-support.

The inquest will start March 26 in London. It's expected to last 13 days and hear from about 30 witnesses.

Dr. Rick Mann will preside as inquest coroner and Mark Poland will be counsel to the coroner.

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  A police cruiser is parked near the scene of a fatal shooting incident between OPP Officer Vu Pham, 37 and a motorist he was attempting to stop near the hamlet of Winthrop, Ont., north of London, Monday, March 8, 2010.(Dave Chidley / THE CANADIAN PRESS)