Shooting of Chantel Moore

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On June 4, 2020, Chantel Moore, an Indigenous Canadian woman, was shot and killed by Edmundston, New Brunswick police, who were called to perform a wellness check on her.[1] Moore's death drew national attention and outrage.[2] However, the actions of the Edmundston officer involved were found to have been "reasonable under the circumstances" and he was not charged with any crime.[3]

Background[]

Moore was a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation[4] and had recently moved to New Brunswick to be closer to her six-year-old daughter, who was living with Moore’s mother.[5] The wellness check was asked for by Moore's boyfriend in Toronto, who was worried Moore was being harassed.[6]

Incident[]

Moore opened the door to her residence holding a knife and walked towards the responding officer. When commands to drop the knife were not followed, he fired four times, killing Moore.[7] He was not equipped with a Taser.[8]

Public response[]

In response to the incident, attention was raised to the fact that Edmundston police officers do not wear body cameras;[9][10] this is not unusual for police services in Canada[11] due to the cost of the devices[12] and questions over their effectiveness.[13] Moore's family questioned the decision of the Edmundston officer to not attempt using non-lethal force in the interaction, considering the shooting to have been excessive given the small stature of Moore and the fact that she was only armed with a knife.[9][14] Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller commented "I don't understand how someone dies during a wellness check."[10][15]

Investigation[]

Due to New Brunswick not having its own police investigation service, Quebec's Bureau of Independent Investigations was tasked with investigating the police involved shooting. However, this decision drew calls from Indigenous leaders for an independent public investigation into her death.[16][17] Investigators concluded the report in December 2020, referring it to New Brunswick's public prosecution service to determine if charges should be laid. After reviewing the report and available evidence, the prosecution service determined that the officer's actions were "reasonable under the circumstances," finding that he was confined to a third-floor balcony and that she posed a "potential lethal threat approaching him quickly."[3] The Canadian criminal code allows police officers to defend themselves and others with lethal force under certain circumstances.[8] The independent report corroborated initial police allegations that Moore did not follow commands to drop the knife.[3][8] Witnesses heard the commands.[8] The officer, a use of force instructor for the department, was not equipped with a taser.[8]

Aftermath[]

Occurring just over a week after the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, an Indigenous-black woman, the shooting of Moore caused scrutiny to be raised over Canadian police's capability to de-escalate situations involving mental health crisis.[18][19] Indigenous leaders, Moore's grandmother, and Minister Miller linked the killing to systemic racism of Indigenous people by Canadian police.[20] Though Indigenous peoples make up 5 percent of Canada’s population, 36 percent of people shot to death by RCMP officers over a 10-year period were Indigenous.[20] In the aftermath of the killing, the chiefs of a coalition of Maliseet First Nations called for an independent probe of the New Brunswick justice system to address systemic discrimination against Indigenous people.[17] Rallies, protests, and healing walks were held across Canada to call for justice for Moore.[21][22] Eight days after the shooting of Moore, a second Indigenous person, Rodney Levi, was killed by police in New Brunswick.[23][24] Both deaths led to Premier Blaine Higgs deciding not to proceed with proposed legislation to increase the emergency powers of the police.[24] The investigation's findings were called a "stinging blow" by British Columbia's First Nations Leadership Council.[8] Moore's family was reported in June 2021 as reviewing its legal options.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "B.C. First Nation wants immediate action in death of Chantel Moore in Edmundston, N.B." Global News. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  2. ^ "N.B. police shooting of Indigenous woman sparks outrage across Canada". Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  3. ^ a b c Cooke, Alex (June 7, 2021). "No charges against New Brunswick police officer in death of Chantel Moore". Global News. Retrieved 2021-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "New Brunswick Police Kill Indigenous Mom During 'Wellness Check'". HuffPost Canada. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  5. ^ Brend, Yvette. "B.C. woman fatally shot during police wellness check just made fresh start to be with her child, family says". CBC News.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Brown, Scott. "Port Alberni woman fatally shot by police in New Brunswick". Times Colonist. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  7. ^ "No charges against New Brunswick police officer in death of Chantel Moore". Global News. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Magee, Shane (June 7, 2021). "New Brunswick police officer who fatally shot Chantel Moore won't be charged". CBC News. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "'This was racially motivated,' says grandmother of Tofino woman shot and killed by N.B. police". Vancouver Island. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  10. ^ a b Magee, Shane (June 5, 2020). "Federal ministers express outrage over N.B. shooting death of Chantel Moore". CBC News.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Britneff, Beatrice (9 June 2020). "Police body cameras in Canada: How common are they and do they reduce excessive force?". Global News. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  12. ^ Valiante, Giuseppe (February 10, 2019). "Montreal rules out body cameras for police, saying cost not worth results". CTV News. Retrieved October 13, 2021 – via The Canadian Press.
  13. ^ "Leading maker of body cams disputes Montreal police cost estimates". February 1, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  14. ^ "N.B. police killing of Chantel Moore 'hard to understand,' says her great-uncle". CBC Radio. June 8, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ News; Canada (2020-06-05). "'It was a wellness check and someone died': N.B. police kill Indigenous woman, minister wants answers | National Post". Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  16. ^ Denis, Jen St (2020-06-20). "Call for independent inquiry repeated at vigil for Chantel Moore in Vancouver". British Columbia. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  17. ^ a b "First Nations chiefs in N.B. seek review of justice system after shooting death of Chantel Moore". CBC News. June 6, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "Canada police under scrutiny after two women die after encounters with officers". the Guardian. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  19. ^ "Police aren't well-trained for mental health and wellness checks, says Vancouver-based advocate". Global News. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  20. ^ a b Lamoureux, Mack; Zoledziowski, Anya (2020-06-05). "Indigenous Leaders Demand Investigation into Police Killing of Chantel Moore". Vice Media. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  21. ^ "Chantel Moore's death deserves 'same kind of reaction as George Floyd,' Indigenous leader says". thestar.com. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  22. ^ "Healing walks in memory of Chantel Moore marred by second fatal police shooting in N.B." CTVNews. 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  23. ^ "Healing walks in memory of Chantel Moore marred by second fatal police shooting in N.B." CTVNews. 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  24. ^ a b Poitras, Jacques (June 15, 2020). "Higgs scraps legislation to increase emergency powers of government and police". CBC New Brunswick.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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