Sleeping Nunavut elder attacked in her Iqaluit apartment

A 73-year-old elder who uses a wheelchair and lives in these apartments near the elder’s Qammaq in downtown Iqaluit is recovering from injuries after someone broke into her apartment early on the morning of May 9. (PHOTO BY STEVE DUCHARME)

A disabled 73-year-old elder is recovering from injuries after an unknown assailant broke into her Iqaluit apartment in the early morning of May 9 and attacked her while she was asleep in bed.

RCMP “V” Division spokesperson Sgt. David Lawson confirmed that no charges have yet been laid in the assault but investigators believe the attack was an isolated incident.

The elder was hospitalized with injuries following the attack, Lawson said, and required multiple stitches for head trauma, another source told Nunatsiaq News.

The woman, who is confined to a wheelchair, was allegedly asleep in bed when her apartment was broken into at about 3 a.m., May 9, sources said.

The door to her apartment was unlocked at the time of the assault.

The woman’s apartment is part of a building adjacent to the Iqaluit’s Elders Centre.

The Iqaluit Elders Centre told Nunatsiaq News that the Iqaluit Housing Authority is responsible for the maintenance of those units.

But Nunatsiaq News could not confirm from the IHA what level of security is available for the units, many of which are occupied by elders who use the nearby elder facility.

The victim of the assault has since been discharged from hospital and is recovering well, sources said.

The RCMP has asked anyone with information on this incident to contact the Iqaluit RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).