Nunavut fugitive facing 13 charges

David Mikkigak was expected to face 13 charges at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit Oct. 3 including forcible confinement, assault causing bodily harm and multiple firearms-related charges. (FILE PHOTO)

David Mikkigak, the Cape Dorset resident who eluded an RCMP manhunt for nearly three months while he hid, armed, in a cabin on the land, was expected to make a first appearance at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit Oct. 3.

According to today’s court docket, Mikkigak, 37, faces 13 charges including assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement and five firearms-related charges.

Mikkigak, who had been wanted by police since early July, allegedly fired gunshots at passing boaters in mid-August, prompting police to reach out to the public to help facilitate contact with him.

The Nunavut RCMP suggested, in several news releases over the summer, that community members were aiding Mikkigak by delivering supplies and they urged friends and family members to stop doing that and instead, help to negotiate his surrender.

Mikkigak eventually did surrender peacefully on Sept. 22 and was taken into police custody.

Two women who were with Mikkigak surrendered earlier that day and were also taken into custody and given access to medical care. The RCMP confirmed Oct. 3 that neither woman faces any charges.