Neqotkuk First Nation seeks Indigenous-led policing after fatal RCMP shooting.

Chief Ross Perley is calling for provincial and federal support to establish an Indigenous-led policing agency after community member Bronson Paul was shot by an RCMP officer on Jan. 18; the shooting is under investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team.

Neqotkuk First Nation's chief has asked provincial and federal leaders to support the creation of an Indigenous-led policing agency following the death of a community member. Bronson Paul was shot on Jan. 18 after RCMP officers responded to what police described as a domestic dispute. The chief says the local RCMP detachment is closed indefinitely and community leaders are calling for an official acknowledgment of problems in RCMP policing of Indigenous communities. The incident is under review by the Serious Incident Response Team. Known facts: - On Jan. 18, Bronson Paul died after being shot by an RCMP officer in Neqotkuk First Nation; police say non-lethal measures were tried and that he was carrying an edged weapon. - Chief Ross Perley has closed the community RCMP detachment indefinitely and says residents feel fear and anger toward the RCMP. - The chief and council are calling for provincial and federal support to establish an Indigenous-led policing service and have asked the RCMP commissioner to acknowledge systemic racism. - The shooting is being investigated by the Serious Incident Response Team, and chiefs across Atlantic Canada have called for an urgent meeting with the federal government after a second recent fatal RCMP shooting of an Indigenous man. Summary: The death has increased hurt and anxiety in Neqotkuk and prompted local leaders to seek a transition from RCMP policing to an Indigenous-led service. Investigations by the oversight agency are ongoing and regional Indigenous leaders have requested urgent talks with federal officials to address the matter.