Police say probe into fatal shooting won’t be swayed by uncle’s notoriety

August 5, 2008 Toronto SUN

By THE CANADIAN PRESS

WINNIPEG — Police say their probe into a fatal shooting by an officer over the weekend will not be influenced by the fact the man’s uncle was also shot dead by police 20 years ago.

A news release issued Sunday by the Wasagamack First Nation said that the victim of the shooting was Craig McDougall, a nephew of J.J. Harper, an aboriginal leader who was fatally shot by police in March 1988.

Harper’s death helped lead to the creation of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in Manitoba.

Police said Monday that the homicide unit is investigating McDougall’s death and will forward its findings to an outside agency for review before a final report is issued to the attorney general.

“Who the individual is not something that will make a difference in the investigation,” said Winnipeg police spokeswoman Const. Jacqueline Chaput.

“I’m certain that the investigation will be thorough and will be complete and all the facts will be revealed.”

Officers have said the shooting occurred when they were responding to phone calls for help at a home on Saturday night.

They said that when they arrived, a man allegedly refused to drop a knife, and that police shot the man when an officer unsuccessfully tried to subdue him with a Taser.

In its news release, the Wasagamack First Nation accused Winnipeg police of “wrongdoing” in the “senseless killing,” and aboriginal leaders have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday in the home where the shooting occurred.

Cheyenne Parisian, the mother of McDougall’s girlfriend, said Monday that McDougall was a soft-spoken and caring man who had recently begun attending aboriginal ceremonies and sweat lodges in an effort to connect to his culture and roots.

Parisian said McDougall was on the phone speaking to her daughter when the incident took place.

“Why they shot him was wrong. That’s all we have to say for now,” Parisian said.

Harper, who was the former executive director of the Island Lake Tribal Council, was shot by police in March 1988 after an officer mistook him for a car thief.

An inquest found Harper was shot after he pushed down the officer and tried to take his gun. But the case, along with the botched investigation into the 1971 murder of Helen Betty Osborne, led to the formation of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry.

The inquiry concluded in its 1991 report that the province’s justice system was failing aboriginals, and that the investigation into Harper’s death by Winnipeg police was inadequate at best.