Update on Kinngait incident

June 4, 2020
Kinngait, Nunavut

News release

Earlier this week on June 1, 2020 a video was captured and circulated on social media showing an intoxicated man in Kinngait being hit by a Police vehicle and subsequently arrested under the Nunavut Liquor Act. The individual in the video was taken into Police custody and lodged into cells and has not been charged with any offences.

Prior to the arrest of the individual in the video, Kinngait RCMP had 3 officers on duty and had called out two additional officers in order to assist with an on-going firearms complaint which was later resolved.

Kinngait RCMP Detachment has 4 cells. At the time the male from the video was being lodged into cells the Detachment had 7 prisoners, all of whom were intoxicated. One cell was occupied by 4 males, another with an extremely agitated male and 2 females in opposite cells who had to be separated as they had previously been fighting with each other. One female prisoner was released in order to make room for the male in the video.

Once the male from the video was in cells, the officers continued to answer several other calls for service in the queue waiting to be answered. Shortly after midnight on June 2, 2020, another male was arrested on an unrelated matter and placed in the same holding cell as the male in the video. Shortly after the members departed to continue the back log of calls, a fight broke out between the two males. The guard immediately advised our telecommunications operators who alerted the members on duty. They arrived as quickly as possible. Unfortunately the male in the video was injured as a result of the assault and later flown to Iqaluit for further medical treatment.

The second male in the cell has been charged with Aggravated Assault and has since been released by the courts to next appear in on August 10, 2020 in Kinngait.

"V Division RCMP continue to work diligently to serve the community of Kinngait in managing the high volume of calls for service while balancing resources and demands placed on the members. I have ordered an administrative review of the incident in cells along side the investigations into the actions of the officer depicted in the video released on social media." said, C/Supt. Amanda Jones, Commanding Officer, V Division RCMP.

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Contact information

Cpl. Jamie Savikataaq
RCMP "V" Division Media Liaison
Iqaluit, Nunavut
Media Cell: (867) 222-3977
Email: VDIV_MEDIA.VDIV_IQ_Det.VDiv@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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