Manslaughter verdict for Pond Inlet man charged with murder

A Pond Inlet man who faced trial earlier this year on a first-degree murder charge has been found guilty of manslaughter, a Nunavut judge ruled Tuesday.

Wayne Panipakoocho, who was 19 at the time, was charged with killing Hannas Braun on the morning of June 30, 2019 after police were called to a house in the 2600s area of Iqaluit where they found a man in medical distress.

Members of the RCMP’s Iqaluit detachment, the Nunavut RCMP major crimes unit and the critical incident command team then began looking for Panipakoocho, who is alleged to have fled and was at large somewhere in the city.

Police located Panipakoocho shortly before noon that same day and took him into custody. Iqaluit’s Alianait Arts Festival was put on hold while the search was going on.

Panipakoocho’s judge-alone trial was held in Iqaluit in March before judge Susan Charlesworth,

With Charlesworth unable to attend court Tuesday, judge Vital Ouellette read out the decision in an Iqaluit courtroom.

Charlesworth said Panipakoocho had admitted to firing a single shot at Braun inside his aunt’s apartment shortly after 7:25 a.m. on June 30, 2019.

The bullet hit Braun in the left thigh and travelled through to his right thigh, hitting both his femoral arteries. He bled to death shortly after, Charlesworth wrote.

At trial, Panipakoocho’s lawyers argued he was defending himself and his cousin from Braun on the morning of the shooting.

They also argued Panipakoocho’s actions were the result of Braun provoking him that morning, and that intoxication prevented Panipakoocho from intending to kill Braun.

The Crown had argued that Panipakoocho — who moved to Iqaluit days before the killing — was guilty of first-degree murder and had intended to kill Braun.

At trial, they pointed to social media posts he had sent saying he was going to shoot Braun.

According to the agreed statement of facts, Panipakoocho was distraught when police arrested him.

“Mr. Panipakoocho broke down completely crying: ‘Oh, did he die?!’ and, ‘I tried to aim it on his leg, so he wouldn’t die. Oh, I’m sorry…'” Charlesworth wrote.

Ultimately, Charlesworth rejected the self-defence argument, but ruled Panipakoocho’s actions showed he did not intend to kill Braun.

“The stupidity of such a decision cannot be explained or justified. It can, however, be used to understand the intent Mr. Panipakoocho had when he shot Mr. Braun,” she wrote.

At trial, a forensic pathologist also testified it was unusual for a gunshot wound to the thigh to cause death.

“That Mr. Panipakoocho chose to point the rifle and shoot at Mr. Braun’s legs supports his intent to only injure him, however significant the injury to the legs would have been from such a high-powered weapon,” Charlesworth wrote.

The surprise Panipakoocho expressed to police when he was arrested also demonstrated he did not intend to kill Braun, Charlesworth wrote.

Panipakoocho’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 4 at 9:30 a.m.