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Mother of 2 shot by police in critical condition, says B.C. First Nation chief

Community B次元官网网址榙evastatedB次元官网网址 by third member of 1,150-person Vancouver Island nation shot in less than a year
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Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation elected chief councillor Moses Martin, who was also Chantel MooreB次元官网网址檚 grandfather, speaks to media in Port Alberni on Aug. 16, 2020, during a visit from NDP leader Jagmeet Singh following the police shooting of Chantel Moore. (Elena Rardon photo)

The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation is demanding B次元官网网址渁n immediate, transparent and transformative responseB次元官网网址 after an Indigenous woman was shot by police in Hitacu on May 8.

B次元官网网址淥ur community and our families are completely devastated,B次元官网网址 said Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Chief Moses Martin through a joint-statement from TFN and the First Nations Leadership Council on May 11.

B次元官网网址淭he woman who was shot by the RCMP is in critical condition and this is the third recent shooting by the RCMP of one of our peopleB次元官网网址攐ur population is approximately 1,150 people. Needless to say, we are experiencing heavy trauma and shock. We are frustrated that we are being told to wait for the investigation, which could take months. We will be seeking support for the family and we will also be seeking interim measures with the RCMP and the IIO.B次元官网网址

The statement says the woman is the mother of two children and a Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation member, adding that the TFN must be involved in the investigation B次元官网网址渆very step of the way.B次元官网网址

A statement from the BC RCMP says members of the Ucluelet RCMP B次元官网网址渆ncountered a woman with a weaponB次元官网网址 when they responded to a report of a disturbance and a male in need of medical assistance at a Hitacu residence around 5:12 p.m. on May 8.

B次元官网网址淪hots were fired by the police officers. The woman suffered gunshot wounds and was transported to hospital by BC Emergency Health Services,B次元官网网址 the statement reads. B次元官网网址淎 male was also transported to hospital for treatment. No one else was physically injured in this incident.B次元官网网址

This marks the third time a Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation member has been shot by police in the past year. Chantel Moore, 26, was shot and killed during a wellness check in Edmundston, New Brunswick, on June 4, 2020. Julian Jones, 28, was shot and killed by Tofino RCMP in Opitsaht on Feb. 27, 2021.

B次元官网网址淭his shooting comes just three months after the fatal police shooting of Julian Jones, another Tla-o-qui-aht member, reaffirming the numerous calls by the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation and Indigenous leaders across the country for substantial police reform to address the systemic racism and violence that is evidenced every time we have another Indigenous person shot by the police,B次元官网网址 the May 11 statement reads.

B次元官网网址淭hese calls have included the reallocation of police funding to support de-escalation and trauma informed services, the appointment of an Indigenous person to the IIO processes, and the implementation of First Nations-led police services and forces.B次元官网网址

The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Hereditary Chiefs and Elected Council say they are still waiting for the changes they asked for after the shooting of Chantel Moore.

B次元官网网址淲hat will it take to make the tragedies stop? The use of lethal force by Canadian police forces against Indigenous peoples is a deadly epidemic in Canada,B次元官网网址 said Lydia Hwitsum of the First Nations Summit Political Executive.

B次元官网网址漈he lack of action on implementing proposed solutions will only lead to more of our citizens being injured or dying. The time for police reform is now.B次元官网网址

BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee said change is needed.

B次元官网网址淭he deadly cycle of violence is largely fuelled by systemic racism and we look to Canadian leadership to urgently make the transformative changes that will provide all people with protection of the right to life, liberty and security, and which will build stability to our society as a whole,B次元官网网址 he said.

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Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly B次元官网网址 as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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