Tuesday, July 03, 2007 - 08:00
Local News - By Elisabeth Johns
Cornwall Standard-Freeholder
A peaceful native protest on Friday turned violent after midnight as wooden pallets were set on fire near the bridge and shots were fired into the air, police confirmed.
The incident occurred around 12:45 a.m. Saturday while Akwesasne Mohawk Police officers were patrolling around Cornwall Island to ensure all was well, said police Chief Lewis Mitchell.
A handful of protesters threw wooden pallets across the roadway between the tollbooth and the Canadian Customs detachment at the foot of the St. Lawrence Bridge, Mitchell said.
In turn, the bridge was shut down for several hours and the Akwesasne fire department was called in to extinguish the fire and clean up the road, said Mitchell.
“When police responded, shots were fired into the air,” he explained. “(The gunfire was) not directed at police or houses, but there was about 20 rounds that went off.”
At this point, he said, police intervened and seized an AK-47. No one was injured.
Minimal traffic was affected, since few were travelling across the bridge at that time of night, Mitchell added.
The police have identified a number of suspects, he said, and charges are pending.