Members of the Salluit community are protesting against the Nunavik Police Service after a police intervention where Joshua Papigatuk, right, is said to have died during an altercation with police officers in Salluit, and his twin brother Garnet Papigatuk, left, was medivaced due to severe injuries. Photo courtesy of François Léger-Savard via Local Journalism Initiative.
Quebec’s police watchdog called the BEI, or Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, says officers in Salluit, Nunavik received a 911 about an impaired driver at 4:10 a.m. ET on Monday.
According to “preliminary information” provided in a statement and released by the BEI Tuesday afternoon, “A pair of police officers reportedly arrived at the scene a few minutes later and there was a physical altercation between the officers and two people.”
The two people were twin brothers Joshua and Garnet Papigatuk.
According to the BEI statement, after they were stopped, police deployed a Taser and pepper spray “without success.”
“A police officer then allegedly opened fire at one of the people who was injured by police gunfire,” according to the BEI, “The police officer allegedly fired at the second person, who was then injured by police gunfire.”
First aid was then provided and both twins were taken to hospital. Joshua Papigatuk was killed while Garnet is in stable condition.
The BEI said five investigators are working on the case.
A fundraising page has been posted in support of the family.
“The Papigatuk family in Salluit is enduring an unimaginable tragedy,” said the online GoFundMe post. “This devastating event has left their family and community in deep mourning, sparking calls for justice and understanding.”
The BEI said its officers are “meeting with witnesses and the families involved,” according to a statement online.
The police watchdog also said the province’s provincial police force, Surete du Quebec, has been assigned to conduct a criminal investigation.
No other information was provided by authorities.
Joshua Papigatuk is the 10th Indigenous person to die after interacting with police since the end of August.
“During this difficult time, the family must travel to southern Quebec, the only place where specialized medical and mental health services are available to support Garnet’s recovery and provide the family with critical resources for grieving,” the GoFundMe page said.
“Traveling from their northern community brings significant financial burdens. Leaving home for the south means high costs for flights, accommodations, and living expenses, all while dealing with profound emotional distress. They face being separated from their support networks and cultural connections, adding to the weight of their loss.”
Salluit is an Inuit community and the second most northern community in Nunavik, sub-Arctic Quebec with a population of 1,580.
According to a report by Nunatsiaq News, people stood outside the Salluit police office, some carrying homemade signs or calling out “justice for Joshua” or “justice for the twins” and passing drivers honked their horns in support.
A video circulated on Facebook purporting to show the Salluit incident had been viewed more than 200,000 times by early Monday evening.
It appears to show one person grappling with another, then recoiling after being shot. In the video, two apparent gunshots can be heard.
Another Facebook video appears to show one man pushing two police officers downstairs at the front of a house. A third officer at the bottom of the stairs appears to be brandishing a weapon.
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Moses Tarkirk, a Salluit resident, told Nunatsiaq News the two men who were involved were his childhood friends.
“This news shocked me,” Tarkirk said in a phone interview in French. “I have moments where I am trying to focus, but I have a lot of moments where I am crying. This is very difficult.
“Everyone, including me, does not feel safe with these police officers,” he said.
Tarkirk said he really wants to know how a “normal intervention” involving police could lead to a person dying.
Issues between Inuit and the Nunavik police are nothing new.
In 2018, APTN Investigates reported that Nunavik had the highest rate of police shooting deaths in Quebec.
With files from Cedric Gallant, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter – Nunatsiaq News
