February 6, 2004
KRPF officer cleared
in shooting
Suspect shot in leg
during violent altercation
JANE
GEORGE
A constable with the Kativik
Regional Police Force in Ivujivik was justified in shooting a suspect two weeks
ago, a team of investigators from the Sûreté du Québec provincial
police force has found.
Paulusi Tarriasuk, 34,
who was shot in the leg, has been charged with attempted murder and more than
a dozen other charges in connection with the incident.
On Jan. 21, around 8:30
p.m. in Ivujivik, a KRPF constable answered a call to intervene in a violent
domestic dispute.
The constable saw the woman
who had made the call walking down the street with her baby in an amauti. The
constable stopped, put the two in the truck, and drove them toward the police
station to take a statement of complaint.
"A truck came along
head-on and rammed right into the police truck," said KRPF Lieutenant Larry
Hubert.
After the driver of the
truck got out of his vehicle to yell at the woman, he went back in, turning
out his lights.
Police say the man then
drove around the police station, and returned, ramming into the police truck
from behind.
The constable drew his
truck next to the other vehicle's door, to block the driver from exiting.
"He [the constable]
went to see what he was doing. The man rolls down the window and points a rifle
at him," Hubert said.
The constable dove under
the man's truck, while the man went to the passenger door of his truck and got
out.
The man threatened to shoot
the woman and baby.
Meanwhile, the constable,
who managed to get his shotgun out of his truck, told the man to drop his gun.
The man charged at the
constable saying "fuck you, fuck you."
The constable told the
man to put the gun down, but he wouldn't put his weapon down. So, the constable
fired a warning shot.
The constable told the
man to stop, but the man kept coming, and pointed the weapon at him, so he shot
him in the leg, said Hubert.
After shooting the man,
the constable ducked behind his truck again because the armed man still kept
coming toward him, hobbling, on one leg.
The constable told the
man to stop. Finally, the man lay down on the ground and was handcuffed.
The man was taken to the
nursing station and flown to Montreal for further treatment. His injuries are
not considered life threatening.
On the night of Oct. 14
in Ivujivik, the same constable was chased by an armed man. The constable managed
to hide in some building materials outside under the dark community centre.
The man looked for the
constable, using a flashlight and threatened to kill him if he found him.
Finally, the man gave up
his search.
Later that day, police
arrested Tarriasuk, who faces 12 separate charges including assault with a bicycle,
uttering threats, causing damage under $5,000, pointing a firearm at a constable
and using a firearm while committing an indictable offense. Tarriasuk was held
for four days and then released with conditions.
The constable involved
in these two separate incidents received permission to take a work leave from
Quebec's workmen's safety board. He will not be returning to work in Ivujivik.
Police in Nunavik have
noted an increase in gun-related offenses.
TOP
|