3 men in custody after hours-long standoff with Yellowknife RCMP

Three men have been taken into custody after police say a handgund was pointed at the occupants of a downtown Yellowknife apartment unit.

At least six armed officers entered the Grayling Manor apartment building with bulletproof vests, shields and door rammers.

They came out of the building with the suspect, who appeared to be an adult male, about 30 minutes later, at approximately 2:50 p.m. 

The building has been the site of criminal activity in the recent past. In March of 2020 the NWT Housing Corporation upgraded security there following an RCMP investigation of a mid-afternoon shooting and, in a separate incident, a suspicious death. 

In a press release the RCMP said they received a call at 7:15 a.m. about a disturbance at the building after three men entered a unit and pointed a hand gun at the occupants.

The release said police recovered a handgun outside the building and confirmed one person had been arrested. 

The release said the police operation on 51A Ave. and 56th St. was ongoing as it was believed one of the three men were hiding in the Sunridge apartments on 51A Ave.

Sections of both roads were blocked off until Friday evening.

In a second press release later Friday evening, police said two more men were arrested in relation to the incident, this time at Sunridge apartments.

"The police action at the Sunridge apartments has concluded safely this evening," the press release stated. "The Yellowknife RCMP have taken two more male subjects into custody after the search of a unit in the Sunridge apartments situated on 51a Avenue in Yellowknife."