Man shot by Winnipeg police believed to be from Nunavut
More support needed for Inuit outside territory, Tunngasugit CEO says
Jordan Charlie, 24, of Nunavut, is reported to be the man shot by Winnipeg police on Nov. 24. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
A man who was shot by police in Winnipeg after stabbing an officer is thought to be from Taloyoak, but he has no family in the city to identify him.
The incident happened Nov. 24 at approximately 5:09 p.m., Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release.
Video of the incident was posted on Facebook.
“Officers reported that an officer had been stabbed in the throat and a suspect had been shot,” the release said.
The suspect later died in hospital, while the officer is being treated for injuries.
The following day, Nikki Komaksiutiksak, CEO of Tunngasugit Inuit Resource Centre in Winnipeg, got a call from an APTN reporter informing her the person who was shot was 24-year-old Jordan Charlie, from Taloyoak.
“It was just an immediate gut-wrenching feeling,” she said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News.
Tunngasugit Inuit Resource Centre is a not-for-profit that helps Inuit transition to an urban setting. Komaksiutiksak said they have worked with more than 1,200 Inuit there, including Charlie.
After getting the call from the reporter, Komaksiutiksak reached out to the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, which has taken over the investigation from Winnipeg police.
Jordan Charlie from Nunavut is thought to be the person shot by Winnipeg police at a bus stop after stabbing an officer on Nov. 24. (Screenshot courtesy of Facebook)
A representative there confirmed the information from the APTN reporter, she said.
A unit spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by Nunatsiaq News.
However, Komaksiutiksak said that at this point her organization is “taking the word” of the police and media, as none of Charlie’s relatives live in Winnipeg to identify the body.
“We are just trying to figure that out with the coroner’s office to see if some of our staff that worked with him initially would be able to do that,” Komaksiutiksak said.
Charlie has been incarcerated and released several times for different offences in past years. He had been homeless since 2023 and was suffering from drug addiction, she said.
Most recently, on Nov. 19, Charlie was released from incarceration at a bus stop near Unicity Shopping Centre, she said. It was five days before the reports that he was shot at the same stop.
Komaksiutiksak said she is in contact with Charlie’s family.
When the investigation is over and his identity is confirmed publicly, she said Tunngasugit will help arrange for him to be buried in Nunavut.
Many Inuit who move south have difficulties adapting to the urban environment, Komaksiutiksak said — they become homeless, suffer from substance abuse and are “left to figure out what they need to do to survive.”
If it was indeed Charlie, he was a victim of that as well, she said.
There needs to be more “accountability” from the Nunavut government and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to ensure Inuit who move south are getting resources and are taken care of, Komaksiutiksak said.
“They’re moving to the south a lot of times it’s not because they want to, it’s because they have no choice,” she said.
Why should the Government of Nunavut be held accountable for this?
Because it’s the jurisdiction that’s producing the socio-economic refugees?
That said, personal responsibility is important, families are important and government policy cannot solve this kind of problem on its own.
You seem confused about your own point.
It might feel good to lash out at that nebulous psychological force we call ‘government,’ but is it realistic to expect everyone’s psychological needs to be fully met by them, for government to monitor the psychological state of all its citizens and predict actions like this?
“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them”
Inuit need more support at the grassroots level. What another sad day for a young Inuk!!
NTI has become such an elitist organization that it is out of touch with the average person. They have certainly made some strides in the last few years to become more relevant. But many people feel that NTI is useless and just another out of touch bureaucracy (Big, fat and bloated). NTI has so much potential to positively impact the lives of all Inuit no matter where you choose to live but it takes more than gallivanting around the territory, country and world, sitting in first class seats; $500/night hotels and $200 steak dinners…NTI has such a huge opportunity to become an impactful organization. The promise of Nunavut was so exciting and then it died for the majority of people. We have every opportunity to bring back the dream, excitement and make a difference in the lives of the average person.
Other Elitists groups should include Paututiit, N.T.I., Makivik Organization and Kativik Regional Government, Just to name a few. They have lost touch with Reality. Instead giving themselves large bonuses and forgetting where they came from and whom they are supposedly working for.
The Regional Inuit Organizations deliver the compassionate and bereavement program using money provided by NTI. Each grieving family is eligible for either 3 airline tickets, some hotel and billet cost or cover cost of caskets. Contact the regional office.
Saddest. 1200 Inuit being helped already through one organization. That’s incredibly concerning. So many displaced people, and very little insight into why communities are failing in the north. Unhealthy individuals running away to cities without any life skills and the mental illness.
I suspect there is plenty of insight into why Northern communities are failing.
But the thing is, no one seems to be using the insight , (if you are right) to improve. I’m going to say this just try to make a point. Let’s say Inuit are perceiving , and maybe you are perceiving as well that the insight is there, but nothing being implemented. And let’s say it’s considered a failure of government involvement. That being said, don’t you think it’s time Inuit start doing even more, like dealing with alcohol and the drug abuse? Further to what I said, the government can not do anything for the motivation of improving life for anyone , in the real way, superficially giving money out without appreciation and the motivation to use it correctly is failure over and over. It starts within , not the government.
Winnipeg is bad place to live, they differ Inuit than their aboriginal Peoples. Even here in Nunavut, very unsafe, always windy, constant public noise from their vehicles.
Nunavut is the most violent place to live in Canada.
While I have sympathy for the man and express condolences to his family, I, as a long-time resident of Nunavut, do not understand why the blame game starts around every tragedy that happens with my neighbours.
Why is it anyone’s fault this alleged criminal died?
According to the article, he has been in and out of jail several times. He stabbed a police officer in the neck. Gawd, what was expected?
No one forced him to drink, no one forced him to take drugs. As a recovering addict myself, I know the difficulties of trying to get off.
In the south one has many opportunities to recover if they wish.
This tragedy lies with one person only, Not the GN, Not NTI, Not the police.
So sad, a young man dying through his actions. So sad.
I bet he was probably a nice guy to know too.
Come on Nunavumiut, let’s try to prevent this from happening again.
Jordan was not the 1st inuit from Taloyoak to die in the city, my late brother who had disability died in a institution. Because he was evicted from his apartment in Taloyoak. A man froze to death because he was homeless he was also evicted from his apartment. How many more inuit are we going to lose because of unmet needs?
You and I both know Jordan spent almost zero moments of his life in taloyoak. He was abandoned by his mother in gjoa, lived most of his life in Iqaluit before running into significant trouble in Yellowknife. Don’t try and take advantage of this story for your personal gain. Just saying’.
Blame is something too often used, and rarely accomplished anything worth while. Even if blame can be proven, it doesn’t have much positive outcome, unless t victim can benefit. And to benefit, maybe I say this unfortunate, to benefit as a victim after the ordeal , the victim must learn to avoid being the victim again, but I’m not say that in a favourable way to the abuser, but just point out the armour needed for survival, and I’m also encouraging stepping in for the children and other helpless victims. But what I mean is people must stop the blame and take charge as an unrelenting goal. Stop the blame, once you make your points and then do the changes.
I do agree with your comment. And the average person can do better from the resources. I like to see more core, down to earth incentive coming right from the average persons in our northern society. Even with all the abuse of past years. Inuit will only survive these further abuses by getting back the community and family values of the lost years. Get Alcohol out of your life, I know it sounds cheap and repeats, but take a hard look at the incredible outstanding response to alcohol in your life. It’s bigger and more devastating in the communities, than any other place on the planet. Take control of life and stop pretending alcohol can be tolerated, it will not be. It will continue to kill in large percentages. It’s ruin you and generations to come.