The BC Coroners Service will hold a public inquest into the 2015 police shooting death of a 24-year-old man in Port Hardy.

James Reginald Butters, also known as James Hayward, was shot and killed in July 2015 during a confrontation with police in the middle of a main road.

Police said the suspect was reportedly brandishing a knife and making threats toward security staff at a firefighting staging area set up at Port Hardy Secondary School.

When officers tracked him down at Highway 19 and Granville Street, a confrontation occurred and the suspect was shot.

The inquest will begin at 9:30 a .m. on Aug. 20 at the courthouse in Campbell River.

Presiding coroner Lyn Blenkinsop and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding the man's death.

The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances but will not make any finding of legal responsibility.

The Coroners Act permits the chief coroner to hold an inquest if the public has an interest in being informed of the circumstances surrounding a death.