The mother of a man shot dead by Toronto police three years ago suggested her son's skin colour played a role in the death.

Jackie Christopher, a Jamaican-Canadian, was the first witness to take the stand on Monday at the coroner's inquest looking into the death of her 26-year-old son, O'Brien Christopher-Reid.

She trembled with anger and looked directly at the officers involved in Christopher-Reid's death when she alleged race played a factor in the incident.

"I think if he was white, he would have been treated differently," she said. "Every black guy who comes in contact with the cops ends up dead."

Earlier, Christopher wept as she listened to the events leading up to the fatal confrontation.

Christopher-Reid was suffering from mental health issues when police approached him in Edwards Gardens on June 13, 2004, the inquest heard.

Several witnesses had called police to report a shirtless man walking through the midtown park brandishing a knife.

When three officers approached, Christopher-Reid threatened them, and he was shot in the upper body four times at close range, the inquest heard. He was pronounced dead in hospital.

The province's Special Investigations Unit later cleared the officers, saying their actions were justified.

The lawyer for the officers, Gary Clewley, dismissed suggestions race was a factor in the shooting.

"Any suggestion whatsoever that his death had anything to do with the colour of his skin is completely outrageous and untrue, period," Clewley told CTV News.

Christopher, a long-time nurse, remained composed on the witness stand as she described her son's downward spiral and mental health problems.

She said her son's problems surfaced when the bright student didn't return to Ryerson University for the third year of his chemical engineering program. He instead worked for a while before moving to Vancouver to his girlfriend.

The 26-year-old would often call his mother and tell her people on TV knew what he was eating, Christopher testified.

She convinced her son to return to Toronto, where he was twice voluntarily admitted to hospital, but he never stayed, the inquest heard.

The fatal incident with police happened not too long after the hospital visits.

Under the Coroners Act, an inquest is mandatory when a person dies in police custody. The proceeding will examine the circumstances surrounding the death.

The five-person coroner's jury can't find guilt in the case, only make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths.

With a report from CTV's Roger Petersen