IQALUIT - A man accused of first-degree murder in the death of an RCMP officer unsuccessfully tried to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

The trial of Pingoatuk Kolola, accused of first-degree murder in the death of Const. Douglas Scott Nov. 5, 2007, started in the Nunavut Court of Justice Iqaluit Feb. 22. Scott, 20, was killed in Kimmirut after responding to an impaired driving call. Through his lawyer Andy Mahar, Kolola tried to plead guilty to manslaughter, a plea rejected by Crown prosecutor Susanne Boucher.

She said the evidence leads towards a first-degree murder charge.

In her opening remarks, Boucher told the court about 20 witnesses will testify, including 10 from Kimmirut. Boucher said the jury will also hear a video confession the accused made to police. The other witnesses are police officers, whom Boucher said arrested Kolola and observed him at the scene of the shooting. Expert witnesses, including experts in blood spatters and firearms, will also testify, she said.

Boucher told the court a used shell casing found in Kolola's bathroom garbage can will be part of the evidence presented. The emergency phone calls to police will also be played in court, she added.

The court completed the jury selection process Feb. 22, with five jurors chosen in Iqaluit. Eleven had been chosen in Kimmirut Feb. 19, but four of them were excused over the weekend. Six men and six women will now hear the evidence presented in court.

The jurors from Kimmirut will remain in Iqaluit during the week while the trial is ongoing but will fly back home for weekends, said Ron Froese, manager of court operations with the Nunavut Court of Justice.

--with files from Emily Ridlington