No charges in police-related death in Arctic Canada, Ottawa police say
After completing an investigation into the RCMP-related death of a man in Kinngait, Nunavut, the Ottawa Police Service says the officer involved should not be criminally charged.
In a news release Monday, Ottawa police said two investigators from its homicide unit as well as two forensic officers travelled to Kinngait on Feb. 27, the day after Attachie Ashoona was shot and killed by an officer. Further details about the incident involving Ashoona’s death have not been released.
The goal of the Ottawa Police Service, which conducts investigations into major incidents involving RCMP in Nunavut, was to determine if there was any “criminal responsibility of the part of the RCMP.”
The investigators interviewed five RCMP officers as well as 10 civilian witnesses, the release states.
It concluded that “the RCMP officer’s use of lethal force did not exceed the use of force necessary to control the situation” based on the Criminal Code, the release states.
“There were no grounds in the evidence to proceed with criminal charges against the officer.”
The release states the RCMP’s V Division as well as Nunavut’s Department of Justice have been notified of this conclusion.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Arctic Canada : Lawyer wants man in violent Kinngait arrest video to join his class action, CBC News
Finland: Police response times up to an hour slower in Arctic Finland, Yle News
Russia: Police crackdown on Putin opponent’s offices in Arctic Russia, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Film exploring racism against Sami wins big at Swedish film awards, Radio Sweden
United States: Lack of village police leads to hiring cops with criminal records in Alaska: Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Public Media
