Nunavut man dead after late-night firearms confrontation with RCMP

Nunavut RCMP said its members in Hall Beach were threatened by a man with a weapon late May 1. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HAMLET OF HALL BEACH)

A Hall Beach man is dead after a late night confrontation with police officers in the Baffin community of about 850 people.

Nunavut RCMP members responded to a call about a 39-year-old man in distress on May 1 at 11:30 p.m., police said.

The man was reported to have been live streaming on social media that he wanted “to die by police,” the RCMP said in a May 2 release.

Officers arrived at the residence where the man threatened them with a weapon, the RCMP said in the release.

The officers attempted to de-escalate the situation and negotiate with the man, but were unable to do so, the release said. An RCMP member finally shot the man and then recovered his weapon.

The 39-year-old man later died of his injuries.

An outside force is required to investigate any police-related deaths. In this case, the Ottawa Police Service has launched an investigation.

“These events are difficult for all involved,” the RCMP said May 2. “Our thoughts are with the family and community at this time.”

This is the third police-related shooting in Nunavut since December 2016.

RCMP shot a man in Pond Inlet in March and in Gjoa Haven in December 2016. Both men died of their injuries.