Family of twins shot by Nunavik police call for justice at Montreal protest
CBC
Tears were shed, hugs were exchanged and words of solidarity were shared at a protest in Montreal on Saturday calling for justice for two brothers who were shot last month by police in Nunavik, Que.
Around 50 people, including members of the victims' family, gathered in the City of Westmount and marched to Premier François Legault's office, with many holding signs denouncing police brutality against Inuit in the Far North and others reading, "Justice for the twins."
Joshua Papigatuk, 26, was killed when Nunavik police opened fire on Nov. 4 in Salluit, Que. His twin brother, Garnet Papigatuk, was seriously injured and flown to hospital.
Courtney Papigatuk, the twins' second cousin, described Joshua as a "lovely, lovely man" who leaves behind a two-month-old daughter. She says Garnet is in recovery.
"Both Joshua and Garnet are very loved, very happy people who had so much to give to the world and to end a life like that with so much potential and so much happiness is really sick," she said.
She said she organized the protest to condemn police brutality in Nunavik, which she described as an epidemic.
Data from Quebec's chief coroner's office between 2000 and 2018 found Nunavik had more police-related deaths than any of Canada's three territories, despite having a population about one-third of each territory.
"We demand justice, we demand jail time, we demand repercussions for all the cops that have been shooting Indigenous people," Courtney said.
In the days after the shooting, demonstrations were held across Nunavik and people on social media posted the hashtags "justiceforjoshua" and "justiceforthetwins."
Two investigations are underway into the Nov. 4 police altercation — one by Quebec's police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), and the other by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
The BEI released early findings from its investigation the day after the shooting, which it said suggested Nunavik police officers responded to a call about someone attempting to drive while impaired.
A physical altercation ensued, with Tasers and pepper spray allegedly deployed before police drew their guns.
CBC spoke with one person who said they witnessed the whole incident and didn't see pepper spray or Tasers used. The person did not agree to have their name used.
On Friday, Nunavik's police chief pledged to implement every recommendation from the two investigations into the shooting once those final reports are presented.
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