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Baby killed in botched suicide attempt

Young man charged in shooting death of infant sister

JANE GEORGE

Fifteen-month-old Rose Ruth Kaitak died in a police officer’s arms as he rushed her to Salluit’s health centre Aug. 5. Her 19-year-old brother faces charges of manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and dangerous use of a firearm. (FILE PHOTO)

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The people of Salluit are in shock this week after a 15-month- old baby girl was shot dead Aug. 5 as she lay fast asleep in her crib.

Shortly after the incident police arrested tiny Rose Ruth Kaitak’s brother, Nulukie Kaitak, 19.

“For me, it was a terrible tragedy, an accident, where there was no intention of shooting any other individual,” said Salluit’s mayor, Michael Cameron. “He [Kaitak] was trying to commit suicide and at the last second, he moved the gun. He was intending to hurt himself.”

The Kativik Regional Police Force in Salluit received a call around 1:15 a.m. that a gun had been discharged inside a residence.

“A young man had shot into the ceiling and upstairs his young sister was sleeping in her crib. She was fatally injured by the discharge,” said Hugues Beaulieu, spokesperson from the Sûreté du Québec in Rouyn-Noranda and a former KRPF constable in Puvirnituq.

Three shots were fired; one lodged in the sleeping baby.

When the KRPF arrived on the scene, the baby was still alive and crying, however, she lost consciousness when the constables brought her to the nursing station. The baby was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m.

Investigators from the SQ’s homicide team arrived in Salluit on Saturday.

After conducting an investigation into the death, they left, taking Kaitak with them. Kaitak appeared in court in Amos on Monday where he was charged with manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death, and dangerous use of a firearm.

This is the second gun-related death in Nunavik since the beginning of 2004, but police have been dealing with an increasing number of incidents involving firearms in the region, with four separate incidents recorded last weekend in Inukjuak, Kangirsuk, Aupaluk and Kuujjuaq.

Two Inuit constables with the KRPF in Tasiujaq are on leave after an armed woman turned on them last month. A new KRPF recruit who was to go to Salluit turned around this week and headed back to Montreal after learning about the baby’s violent death.

During the last three weeks, 20 offenders have been transported South to face charges that range from uttering threats to violent use of firearms to domestic assault to sexual assaults on a minor.

“If there are things we can do to help the police that would be good,” said KRPF chief Brian Jones, who admits it’s increasingly tough to recruit police.

Following last week’s death, Salluit’s mayor and council made the decision to seize all booze orders over the weekend to give the overworked police officers a break. On Monday afternoon, the orders were returned.

Salluit has a bylaw that restricts monthly orders of beer, wine and spirits to $75. All requests must be approved in advance by the municipal office and pass KRPF scrutiny.

“We have people that use this system and people that bypass this system,” Cameron said. “If we go too strict, it’s the bootleggers who are going to have a blast with it. If we go too lenient we’re not doing much for the community. We’re trying to go in between so we can balance everything.”

The council has written again to suppliers to make sure they have both the consent from the KRPF and the authorization from the council before filling any booze orders.

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