Police ambushed in Arctic Bay

KIRSTEN MURPHY

A six-hour standoff in Arctic Bay on Jan. 9 ended peacefully, police said, after a 17-year-old lured officers to a private residence and fired 20 shots from a .303 rifle.

The 20 scattered bullet casings from the high-powered rifle used to hunt polar bears left little doubt in Cpl. Clare Kines’ mind that the shooter meant to wreak some havoc. “He intended to get us there and cause us harm,” Kines said.

The teen, who cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act, called police at 3 p.m., saying he had taken a drug overdose. Before officers were dispatched, a community resident called to tell police the teen’s claims may have been a set-up.

Kines and his partner called for backup. They drove to the house, but did not enter. Police informed the community radio station, which broadcast a warning to residents, telling them to stay indoors.

“There were people around, lots of traffic and people trapped in offices,” Kines said. “Once the word got out, the community was really good about [staying indoors].”

The standoff ended at 9 p.m. when a negotiator from Iqaluit spoke to the teen by phone and convinced him to surrender. He was arrested without incident before the RCMP’s containment team and emergency response team arrived from Ottawa.

“For me, speculating what might have been does not change anything,” said Kines, a 13-year RCMP officer who has worked at the two-person detachment in Arctic Bay for the past two years.

Though no one was injured in the incident, Kines has been shot while on duty during his 13-year career. “When you’re in those situations, other than responding you don’t really think about what’s happening,” he said. “You’re making sure you aren’t hurt and now no one else is.”

The teen faces four firearm charges and one assault charge. He has been remanded in custody and is expected to appear in Iqaluit court this month. He was in Arctic Bay in open custody, though Kines would not comment on the teen’s previous conviction.

The incident is the third shoot-out involving teens in the Baffin region. Last month, two teens in two separate incidents fired rifles during Christmas celebrations in Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung. No one was hurt. The matters are before the court.