'Changes must happen': First Nation council upset after police cleared in fatal shooting near Tofino

The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which represents about 10,000 members on Vancouver Island, says it's disappointed after the RCMP were cleared of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a member last year.

The shooting occurred on Feb. 27, 2021, on the Opitsaht reserve on Mears Island, near Tofino.

Tofino RCMP were responding to a call of a woman being held against her will, police say.

Few details about the incident have been released by police, but the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. says the "incident resulted in one man being shot and killed by officers," while another man was arrested.

The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) identified the slain man as Julian Jones, and claims he was shot four times.

"We cannot stand by and watch more of our people be shot by police," said NTC president Judith Sayers in a release Wednesday.

"Changes must happen now," she said. "How would you feel if one of your family members were shot by police and there were no consequences for that shooting and killing?"

In a release Wednesday, the IIO said it had completed its investigation into the shooting and determined that there were "no reasonable grounds" that the officer involved in the shooting had committed an offence.

An Indigenous civilian monitor was also involved in the IIO investigation, marking the first time that an Indigenous civilian monitor had been appointed in an IIO review.

"As a matter related to the incident is currently before the courts, the IIO is unable to provide further details regarding the incident or rationale for this decision at this time," said IIO chief civilian director Ronald J. MacDonald in a release Wednesday.

"I regret that the frustration this lack of information will cause is required to ensure a fair trial," he said.

MacDonald says the IIO plans to speak with family members and community members connected to the incident after the court process is complete to help answer questions.

'DISILLUSIONING AND FRUSTRATING'

On Wednesday, the NTC said it was frustrated that there were no findings of wrongdoing in the IIO investigation.

The shooting occurred just nine months after another Tla-o-qui-aht member, Chantel Moore, was fatally shot by police during a wellness check in New Brunswick in June 2020.

In that case, Quebec's independent police watchdog also determined that there was no police wrongdoing in the incident.

"It is disillusioning and frustrating that once again an RCMP officer killed a First Nation person without consequences," the NTC said in its release.

"There is always hope that the system will bring justice for a person killed by police, but the reality never lives up to this hope as the system is stacked against us," the release continued.

Sayers says the First Nation council is calling for six changes to RCMP procedures, which can be found below:

• Train their officers to disarm as opposed to freely shooting any way officers feel is needed.
• More effective training on de-escalation of situations so no shooting is necessary.
• Independent Investigations Office be changed to be more reflective and inclusive of First Nations in their process.
• Setting up an alternate system to 911 for wellness checks where trauma informed people respond as opposed to police.
• Body cams in every police station for their officers.
• Greater communication and protocols with First Nations.