VICTORIA -- The province has postponed a public inquest into the 2016 police shooting death of a Nanaimo man.

Craig Andrew Ford, 49, was killed by Mounties on the morning of June 14, 2016 in the area of Norwell Drive and Highway 19A in Nanaimo.

Nanaimo RCMP were called to the area for a report of a man brandishing a knife. When they found Ford on nearby Country Club Drive, officers fired at the suspect following what police only described at the time as "an encounter with the male."

Ford was taken to hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

The BC Coroners Service was scheduled to hold an inquest into the death at the Nanaimo courthouse on July 27.

The inquest has been postponed due to the public health measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While some regular court operations have resumed, jury selection and jury trials have been cancelled until Sept. 7. The decision to postpone the inquest is in line with this approach, according to the B.C. Public Safety and Solicitor General's office.

Presiding coroner Michael Egilson and a jury were scheduled to hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding Ford's death.

The coroners service will reschedule the inquest once all COVID-19 health measures have been relaxed, the province said.