Six Nations council bans man acquitted of murdering one of its members

SIX NATIONS RESERVE, Ont. – A Hamilton-area homeowner acquitted of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of an Indigenous man has been banned for life from the nearby Six Nations reserve.

The elected band council voted unanimously on Tuesday to banish Peter Khill from the Six Nations of the Grand River territory, home of Jon Styres.

Khill, 28, admitted at trial that he shot Styres on the morning of Feb. 4, 2016, but pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, saying he fired in self-defence when he thought Styres was pointing a gun at him.

The jury at last month’s trial heard that Styres did not have a gun.

Khill’s defence said at trial that he saw Styres breaking into his truck in the middle of the night and he fell back on his army reserve training, taking his shotgun outside to “neutralize the threat.”

Following the June 27 verdict, Six Nations Chief Ava Hill questioned how Indigenous people could have faith in a justice system that “fails to hold anyone accountable for the taking of a life.”