Northwest Territories RCMP are investigating after an incident involving a firearm in Wekweeti last week.
Around 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 29, Behchoko RCMP received a call for service reporting a 23-year-old male had a firearm and was in the community of Wekweeti.
“The details are part of an ongoing investigation, but the nature of the complaint indicated the male could possibly cause potential harm within the community,” a news release from the Northwest Territories RCMP states.
The Northwest Territories RCMP mobilized additional resources, including Police Dog Services, to attend the call and a plane was chartered to fly into the community. RCMP arrived in the community just before 11 p.m. and began an investigation. They found a male suspect and attempted to engage contact but he fled the scene. RCMP retrieved and secured a loaded shotgun at the home where the man was last seen. Due to darkness, the search was halted and RCMP members monitored the home overnight, anticipating his return.
The search resumed the next morning.
Around 8:00 p.m. that evening, acting on a tip from the community, RCMP members conducted a traffic stop and found the man in a vehicle. He was taken into custody unarmed and without incident.
A plane was chartered to fly into the community to retrieve the members and man in custody, and arrived back in Yellowknife around 12:30 am on Friday.
“Responses to calls for services in remote communities pose many challenges, as you can see by the assembling of a team to respond, and the need for private charter plane to access”, says Marie York-Condon, Northwest Territories RCMP Media Relations in a statement.
“In this incident, the community of Wekweéti continued to support the RCMP and each other, throughout the event. The situation was very fluid, and the hard work of the members on the ground, supported by the community in many ways, provided a positive result with no injury. We are thankful this came to a peaceful resolution, and thank the community of Wekweéti”.
The man is currently in custody. The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been identified at this time.
