BURST
Premier Susan Holt says her government will do its part in making sure an investigation into the fatal police shooting of a Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) man on Sunday night is done in a “transparent, timely and appropriate manner.”
The incident has sparked an outpouring of grief and anger, raised questions that the band chief and council want answered, and the temporary closure of the local RCMP detachment.
A statement from the chief and band council identified him as Bronson Paul, “a son, father, brother, partner, nephew, and so much more.”
RCMP posted on social media Sunday night that officers were in the First Nation for a “police operation,” and warned people to avoid the area.
On Monday, the force said officers had responded to a home on Main Street for a report of a domestic disturbance. In a news release, RCMP said: “ As the situation quickly evolved, a man armed with an edged weapon advanced towards members.” RCMP said officers used a Taser on the man, but it was ineffective, “and a member discharged their firearm at the man. First aid was immediately administered at the scene, and the man was taken to hospital where he later died.”
Police tape could be seen at the home where the shooting happened, with a few police cruisers still parked in front, but there was no activity Monday morning.
The police oversight agency known as the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) issued a statement late on Sunday night that it had been contacted by the RCMP and has begun an investigation, and on Monday offered the same details that the RCMP has released, promising a “ thorough and transparent investigation.”
“We are saddened and angered by the death of Bronson Paul last night,” Holt said at the opening of her weekly video, posted on social media Monday morning. “And our hearts are with his children, his partner, his family, and the entire community of Neqotkuk as they grieve this tragic situation.”
She said her government has offered Chief Ross Perley and council its full support.
“And we will do our part to ensure the investigation proceeds in a transparent, timely and appropriate manner to provide the answers the family and the community needs,” she said.
The chief and band council’s statement said that “we understand the impact that this has on Neqotkuk and we want to offer our support for to all of those in need.”
A sacred fire has been lit at the Paul Pyres Community Hall “for those who want to pray or talk to someone,” the statement read.
“Chief and council will push for transparency in this process and proper protocol in working with Indigenous communities,” according to the statement.
The statement then noted that Paul is the most recent Indigenous New Brunswicker to be killed by police.
“We are unsure why lethal force was used in this case, however Bronson is another Indigenous man who was killed at the hands of police, along with Rodney Levi, Chantel Moore and Steven (Iggy) Dedham. Therefore, chief and council are immediately closing our RCMP detachment in Neqotkuk until we know that it is safe for our community members.”
The statement said residents can still call 911, but that police will be escorted to any calls by local security.
“We understand that our community members are angry, confused, scared and shocked. We share that sentiment with all of our community members.”
Chief Perley was at the band office Monday around noon, but said he wasn’t ready to talk at that time.
Later Monday, the Wolastoqey Nation of New Brunswick, on behalf of all six chiefs in the nation, issued a statement echoing the demand for justice.
“While neither Canada nor New Brunswick maintains publicly available tracking of police-related killings, our records show that, since 2020, there have been at least six incidents of law enforcement using lethal force in New Brunswick. In four of those instances, the victims were Indigenous,” they wrote, mentioning the same four people.
“Everyone must recognize this is a deep-seated issue and call it what it is: systemic racism leading to disproportionate and unnecessary deaths of Indigenous people.
“Our communities need justice and action that heals, not inflames, relationships between First Nations and institutional law enforcement. This includes transparent investigations into specific incidents and the underlying systems which lead to elevated risks for Indigenous people. Justice is represented as blind in Canada, yet it seems far from impartial given the data.”
On Friday, the province released its response to a years-old report on systemic racism in New Brunswick. That report was sparked by Levi and Moore’s deaths, which both happened in 2020. At the time, and consistently since then, First Nations leaders have said an Indigenous-led public inquiry is the only way to address what happened.
But neither the Progressive Conservatives under Blaine Higgs or the Liberals under Susan Holt have shown any appetite for that idea.
In their statement, the chiefs also asserted “i nvestigations into incidents involving Indigenous people, must include Indigenous representation on the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) and transparency in the process.”
“The RCMP, local police forces, politicians and governments, and justice systems must be actively anti racist and acknowledge that these repeated instances erode the dwindling trust our people have in justice institutions. We will continue to call for community-based policing in Wolastoqey communities and will be reaching out to relevant provincial and federal authorities to advance this at pace in the coming days.”
The chiefs also asked in their statement that the community check in on one another for support as they deal with their grief, and that Wampum Critical Incident Stress Management has been activated in Neqotkuk.
— with files from Shana Grey