One person dead after police shooting in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Que.
By
Incident follows another fatal police shooting in Nunavik in November
One person is dead after a fatal police shooting in the Nunavik community of Kangiqsualujjuaq.
Quebec’s police watchdog, the bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), is investigating the incident. In a news release Wednesday morning, the BEI shared its preliminary findings.
Around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, Nunavik police officers allegedly found a wanted person inside a tent and officers used pepper spray to force the person out. That person reportedly came out with a bladed weapon and police used a taser to subdue them. A police officer then allegedly opened fire, according to the BEI’s statement.
BEI writes that the individual was then reportedly taken to a health centre, where they were pronounced dead.
Five investigators are heading to the community and are expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon.
BEI has body camera footage from the incident.
Spokesperson Jérémie Comtois said the agency would analyze that footage for its final report which, once complete, will be submitted to Quebec’s director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP).
Given the sensitivity of these reports, Comtois said the BEI would not be disclosing anything further from the investigation to the public.
“It is possible, subject to the prosecutor’s agreement, that certain elements of the investigation will be available for consultation only to the relatives at the end of the process,” he said.
“Our investigations take on average approximately six months before we send our report to DPCP who will determine whether to bring charges against the police officers involved.”
The Nunavik Police Service (NPS) declined to comment.
Tuesday’s event comes six months after another fatal police shooting in Nunavik. In November 2024, a man was killed during an altercation with NPS in the village of Salluit.
Later that month, Nunavik’s police chief pledged to implement every recommendation from the investigation into that shooting once those investigators’ final reports are presented.
This is the 16th police-related death in Nunavik since 2017, according to Quebec’s Office of Independent Investigations database.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Burnout amongst Canada’s federal police may contribute to Nunavut policing problems, says top cop, The Canadian Press
Finland: Police response times up to an hour slower in Arctic Finland, Yle News
United States: Lack of village police leads to hiring cops with criminal records in Alaska: Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Public Media
