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Family of Joey Knapaysweet, man shot and killed after fleeing Timmins police, issues statement

CBC News | Posted: February 15, 2018 4:20 PM | Last Updated: February 15, 2018

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit continues to probe police shooting

Image | Joey and Micheline Knapaysweet

Caption: According to a statement from this family, this photo of Joey Knapaysweet with his mother Micheline Knapaysweet wss the last one taken of him before he left Fort Albany for Timmins to "seek help in dreams for betterment of his life." The family says it needs answers after the 21-year-old was shot and killed by an officer with the Timmins Police Service on Feb. 3, 2018. (Submitted by the family of Joey Knapaysweet)

The parents of a 21-year-old man shot and killed in Timmins, Ont., by local police this month have issued a media statement saying they "need answers."
According to Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, Joey Knapaysweet died on February 3 after he fled police in the Gillies Lake area, and one of the officers fired a gun.
The SIU is still investigating the shooting death and is prohibited from making comment during an investigation.
The family's statement, issued through a Toronto law firm, said the Knapaysweet family is "still in shock."
"What did he do that was so bad that he had to be shot and killed?" asked Joey's mother Micheline Knapaysweet in the release.
"I am so heartbroken, with so many questions unanswered. I cannot sleep at nights, I need answers. This is my son, my child."

Image | Micheline Knapaysweet

Caption: Micheline Knapaysweet holds a memorial photo of her son Joey, 21, who died after being shot by a police officer in Timmins on Feb. 3. According to a statement issued by the family, "the red scarf represents Joey's favorite colour," and Micheline is quoted as saying she "will wear this red scarf until I get the answers as to why my son was shot and killed." (Supplied)

The Knapaysweet family said in the release that it will speak publicly "in the days to come, but for now they ask for
understanding and peace."
According to a statement issued February 7 by prominent Indigenous leaders on the James Bay Coast, Knapaysweet left his home in Fort Albany, Ont., and went to Timmins to seek medical care.
The Chiefs' release lamented the lack of health services available in First Nations communities, and pointed to concerns about systemic racism.
On the heels of Knapaysweet's death, a 62-year-old woman from Fort Albany died after being detained in a jail cell by Timmins Police.
Agnes Sutherland's death is also under investigation by the SIU.

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