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IQALUIT - A man accused of triple homicide in Cambridge Bay appeared in court in Iqaluit Wednesday as his preliminary hearing got underway.

Christopher Bishop faces three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder stemming from a shooting on Jan. 6, 2007.

Kevin Komaksiut, 21, pictured, was shot dead in Cambridge Bay in January 2007. Also killed were Keith Atatahak and Dean Costa. - NNSL file photo

Neatly dressed in a suit and blue tie, he was led into the Nunavut Court of Justice by two armed escorts.

A publication ban prevents the disclosure of any of the evidence presented at the hearing, which began Nov. 12 and was scheduled to continue for several days.

A number of RCMP officers and at least 20 civilian witnesses are expected to be called.

Three witnesses spoke via video-conference from Cambridge Bay on the first day.

Accompanying Bishop was Toronto-based defence attorney Calvin Martin. Bishop successfully petitioned the court earlier this year to have Martin represent him.

Bishop had argued he had not been given an adequate choice of lawyers from the local legal aid pool.

Justice Beverly Browne, who continues to preside over the proceedings, ruled in April that Bishop could have the out-of-territory lawyer paid for by Nunavut's legal aid system.

Qajaq Robinson and Paul Bychok were acting as the prosecuting attorneys.

Keith Atatahak, Dean Costa and Kevin Komaksiut, all in their 20s, died of wounds from automatic gunfire in the January 2007 incident.

At the time, Atatahak's wife and brother were also both shot in the arm. They were treated in hospital and released.