Man accused in Igloolik RCMP shooting appears in court

An Igloolik man alleged to have gone on a shooting spree that injured an RCMP officer in his community last month appeared via video conference from Baffin Correctional Centre in an Iqaluit courtroom Nov. 4.

Donovan Iyerak, charged with four counts of attempted murder with a firearm and one count of using a firearm with intent to endanger a life, appeared before Justice Robert Kilpatrick for about 10 minutes.

The charges stem from an incident Oct. 4 in Igloolik that involved a police chase through the community and allegations that an armed man fired shots at community buildings, including the police detachment, an RCMP press release said.

Crown lawyer Zachary Horricks told Kilpatrick that more charges are expected to be laid against Iyerak from incidents alleged to have occurred during the same time period as the existing charges, but involving “slightly different incidents.”

Horricks told Nunatsiaq News outside the courtroom that because the investigation is ongoing, he can’t provide more details right now.

Inside the courtroom, Horricks said more than 60 witnesses have come forward in the community, and that the RCMP are currently transcribing witness statements.

Iyerak’s defence lawyer, Alison Crowe, asked Kilpatrick for more time to await full disclosure of documents from the Crown, including the new charges when they are laid.

Iyerak, with short-cropped hair and dressed in the navy blue sweatshirt that all BCC inmates wear, sat at a small brown table pushed up against a green wall, and leaned on his elbow while listening to an interpreter sitting across from him.

Iyerak’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 2 at 9:30 a.m. Horricks told Nunatsiaq News that more information may come to light by that time.

A conviction for attempted murder with a firearm carries a mandatory minimum sentence of four years and a maximum sentence of life in prison.