Call that ended in fatal shooting of Indigenous man was not a wellness check: N.B. RCMP

The assistant commissioner for the New Brunswick RCMP released a statement Thursday evening in regards to a police shooting over the weekend that resulted in the death of a man from Elsipogtog First Nation, N.B.

Assistant Commissioner DeAnna Hill said information that the incident started with a wellness check is inaccurate.

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Hill says officers were dispatched to a residence on Graham Road with reports of a “suicidal male armed with a weapon.”

The statement goes on to say Hill is “deeply committed to transparency and accountability to the public.”

“At this juncture, I am focussed on fully cooperating with the SIRT investigation. I am also focussed on ensuring public safety in the community of Elsipogtog, supporting the community as they face their loss, and supporting our police officers and employees who are heavily impacted by this incident as well,” said Hill.

Hill ends the statement saying she respects the integrity of the review and will not provide any additional comments on the ongoing investigation.

Fatal shooting

According to a news release from the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) on Monday, two RCMP officers responded to a man allegedly threatening to harm himself on Sunday. A man carrying weapons approached the police and one of the officers used a Taser, but it was ineffective, according to SiRT.

The other officer “discharged a firearm” and hit the man, who later died in hospital.

In a separate news release Monday, the RCMP said officers responded to a man in "mental distress" with a weapon at a Graham Road residence around 11:19 p.m. Sunday. The man allegedly would not cooperate with police and refused to drop his weapon.

“As the situation evolved, a member discharged their firearm at the man,” said the RCMP in the release.

The RCMP said officers administered First Aid before the man was taken to hospital.

SiRT investigates all matters involving death, serious injury, intimate partner violence and sexual assault that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call SiRT at 1-855-450-2010.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page