Pangnirtung man to appear in Nunavut court on attempted murder, dangerous weapon charges
Charges flow from long-weekend stabbing incident at co-op store

Police have laid charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purposes against a young Pangnirtung man, following a stabbing incident during the long weekend at the local co-op store. (FILE PHOTO)
Police have laid charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose against a young Pangnirtung man, following a long-weekend stabbing incident at the local co-op store.
Charlie Aamusie Qaqasiq, 21, now in remand custody, is set to appear in court this June 18 at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit, the Nunavut RCMP said in a release.
Police arrested Qaqasiq and laid the charges after a youth was stabbed repeatedly at the co-op store on Saturday, May 19.
The injured youth was taken to the health centre in Pangnirtung and from there, he was medevaced to the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit.
As of May 25, the youth remained at the Qikiqtani hospital in stable condition.
The knife attack was a “random and unprovoked incident,” police said.
“There is no further concern for public’s safety as this was an isolated attack,” the RCMP said in their release.
The stabbing occurred during the long weekend that preceded an emergency meeting in the community on May 22, when various Government of Nunavut civil servants and RCMP representatives heard community representatives plea for help in coping with rising suicide attempts and violence.
At that meeting, RCMP Superintendent Mike Jeffrey said crime in Pangnirtung has risen, but the situation is not yet a crisis.
“Your community is like other communities in Nunavut, where the crime is increasing slightly, in this community in particular over the last three years,” Jeffrey said at the meeting.
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