Nunavut coroner’s office announces inquest into Pond Inlet death

Nunavut’s Office of the Chief Coroner will hold an inquest on Nov. 6 in Pond Inlet, seen above, into the 2017 shooting death of 20-year-old Kunuk Qamaniq. (FILE PHOTO)

Nunavut’s Office of the Chief Coroner has announced an inquest into the 2017 death of a young Pond Inlet man.

The November inquest will look into the shooting death of 20-year-old Kunuk Qamaniq.

On March 18, 2017, RCMP officers in the north Baffin community responded to a report of a suicidal man with a firearm at the local cemetery.

Police later reported the man died from a gunshot wound.

The RCMP never indicated if the man shot himself or was shot by police, though the investigation was handed over to the Ottawa Police Service, which is typically called in to investigate Nunavut civilian deaths that happen during police interventions.

The inquest will run from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9 in Pond Inlet, the Office of the Chief Coroner said in an Oct. 1 news release, “to explore the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Kunuk Qamaniq following an RCMP involved shooting and to consider recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances.”

The inquest will be led by the Office of the Chief Coroner’s counsel, Caroline Wawzonek, and presided over by Northwest Territories Coroner Garth Eggenberger.

To participate or present to the inquest, contact the coroner’s office at (867) 975-6562.

If you are feeling distressed or suicidal, call the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line at 1-867-979-3333 24-hours a day, in Iqaluit, or, toll-free, from Nunavik or Nunavut, at 1-800-265-3333.