Investigators arrive in Salluit, Que., after fatal police shooting

Independent investigators have arrived in Salluit, Que., three days after a fatal police shooting of an Inuk man. 

Joshua Papigatuk was killed when Nunavik police opened fire early Monday morning. His brother, Garnet Papigatuk, was seriously injured and flown to hospital. 

Five investigators with the provincial police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), and two forensic specialists with the provincial police service, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), arrived in the community early Thursday afternoon.

They had hoped to have started investigations in the community two days ago, but their arrival was delayed by bad weather, the BEI said. 

The BEI says early investigations suggest the police responded to a call about someone attempting to drive while impaired. A physical altercation ensued, with Tasers and pepper spray allegedly deployed before police used their guns. 

A communications adviser for the BEI confirmed to CBC News they are analyzing the officers' body-camera footage from the incident, as well as videos submitted by witnesses. The advisor said that no footage will be publicly released before the end of the investigation.

The BEI said it "investigates all cases where a person, other than a police officer on duty, dies, suffers a serious injury or is injured by a firearm used by a police officer during a police intervention or while being detained by a police force."

In a written response, the SQ said it's running a parallel investigation "to investigate criminal acts that may have been committed during the event."

Federal politicians pay tribute

Though not in her constituency, Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout said she is working with the Papigatuk family, who are devastated by their loss.

She's calling for transparency at all levels of the investigation, given the time it's taken for investigators to get to Salluit. 

"[The family] are very concerned about the investigation that will happen, that it won't be fair. They're very concerned about the tampering of evidence that might happen," Idlout said. 

Idlout has raised the issue in the House of Commons, of police violence against Indigenous people. In September, she called for an emergency debate into the issue after six First Nations people were killed by police in just two weeks. 

"The Liberals still haven't shown any action to help redress what's going on in Canada," she said. 

"To keep hearing about police brutality just weighs so heavily in my heart."

In a statement, Gary Anandasangaree, minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, said the tragedy in Salluit served as a reminder of the "deeply rooted systemic racism" which disproportionately affects Indigenous people in the justice system. 

"Real, structural change is essential to address these injustices, and that change must include supporting Indigenous-led solutions that prioritize healing, safety, and community," he said. 

"I continue my call for police services to conduct independent investigations, to seek out the truth, and to uphold accountability."

In a statement, the BEI said it's too early to say whether their delayed arrival in Salluit this week will affect the investigation.  

The BEI also said the current average time to submit its full report to the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) is just over six months, and no other information will be released until that investigation is finished.

"Shedding light on an event constitutes a delicate task for the BEI. Although different in their nature and complexity, the investigations carried out by the BEI all meet the same requirements of professionalism and rigour."