Nunavik man dies in early morning altercation with police

Quebec police are investigating the weekend shooting death of a man in Inukjuak.(FILE PHOTO)

Members of Quebec’s provincial police force are investigating the weekend shooting death of a man in Inukjuak.

Sûreté du Québec investigators have been called into the Nunavik community to look into an incident that happened early April 24, when a local man tried to enter the community’s police detachment with a weapon.

The man showed up at the Kativik Regional Police Force station Inukjuak with a knife at about 2:00 a.m. April 24 and threatened officers who were in the building, said SQ spokeswoman Mélanie Dumaresq.

A KRPF officer fired at the man, who died shortly afterward from his injuries.

Police were not injured in the incident.

As is required in Quebec any time someone is injured or killed during a police operation, an outside force is called to investigate.

The Nunavik community of 1,500 has faced a number of tense and sometimes violent interactions with police in recent years.

In July 2014, KRPF officers shot and killed 29-year-old Jobie Napartuk, who is alleged to have threatened police with a frying pan.

And just last month, an armed gunman faced off with police during a hostage situation which ended when the man turned the gun on himself.

Last fall, the KRPF said at least four altercations between police and civilians were under investigation.

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