Business as usual following shelter-in-place alert in Kimmirut
RCMP says investigation ongoing after suspect taken into custody
Police in Kimmirut sent an emergency alert out Monday night asking people to shelter in place during an unidentified “police operation.” The warning was lifted late Tuesday morning. (File photo)
Life returned to normal in Kimmirut Tuesday afternoon following an emergency shelter-in-place alert that was issued while the RCMP conducted an operation overnight Monday and Tuesday morning.
The RCMP lifted the shelter-in-place warning Tuesday morning, approximately 12 hours after advising residents to lock their doors and stay away from windows while officers “conducted a police operation.”
At about 11:20 a.m., RCMP issued a news release lifting the order and announcing the incident “ended with the suspect in custody. There is no longer a threat to public safety.”
The release did not identify the suspect or indicate whether charges had been laid. It’s not known if anyone was injured.
Late Monday night, police issued the shelter-in-place warning in the community of about 425 people on Facebook.
In an update at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, RCMP said the warning remained in effect and that officers were attempting to locate Issacie Ikkidluak. RCMP advised people not to approach the man.
Police did not describe the circumstances that led to the search for Ikkidluak or whether he is the suspect who was apprehended.
Contacted later by Nunatsiaq News, the RCMP said it couldn’t comment due to the ongoing investigation.
Reached by phone, Kimmirut CAO John Stephen Mabberi-Mudonyi said the hamlet hadn’t received any updates from the RCMP.
However, he said, hamlet operations were running normally.
“The hamlet office is open, water is being delivered, sewage is being pumped, shops are open,” Mabberi-Mudonyi said.
Posts on the Kimmirut PSAs Facebook page indicate medical and dental appointments as well as school were cancelled Tuesday as a result of the shelter-in-place order.
“The safety of students and staff is the Department of Education’s top priority. Kimmirut’s Qaqqalik School was closed all day due to the shelter-in-place order,” Matthew Illaszewicz, director of stakeholder engagement for the Department of Education, said in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
A Health Department representative did not respond to Nunatsiaq News’ requests for more information about how health services in Kimmirut were affected by the events.
The community’s Northern store stayed closed during the alert but opened after it was lifted, said Darryl Martin, a spokesperson for the North West Company.
“Our store staff remained at home, ensuring their safety and their families’,” Martin said in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
“As the community was advised the shelter-in-place was lifted this morning, we were able to open the store.”
Prayers to the people of Lake Harbour getting help they need. Sad and Lot of problems for such a small community.
Crack cops know who’s selling they don’t care maybe they making $$ too off the crack
Grow up. If YOU know who the dealers and bootleggers are in your community DO SOMETHING ABOUT. Don’t whine here and on Facebook.
If you know who they are are you willing to go to court and testify?? Why do I doubt it?
I just want everyone to ponder the idiocy of a comment like this, then consider how many times this rag has censored perfectly well thought out, rational arguments people, perhaps even you, have made on various stories in the past. Consider what that tells us about this publication and what its goals and values really are.