Cambridge Bay (Jan 09/07) - A former Yellowknifer has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder following a triple homicide in Cambridge Bay Saturday.

Christopher Raymond Bishop, 21, who once lived in Yellowknife, was arrested shortly after the incident and is being held in custody. He's due to appear in the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit on Friday.

Keith Atatahak, 28, Dean Costa, 29 and Kevin Komaksiut, 21 were killed when gunfire broke out in the early morning hours of Jan. 6.

Two others were wounded in the melee. Media reports indicate that Antoinette Bernhardt, Atatahak's wife, was shot in the arm, while Logan Atatahak, brother to Keith, was struck in the hand. Both have reportedly been medically treated and released.

A semi-automatic weapon was used in the shooting, which began inside the residence but ended outside, according to RCMP Cpl. Randy Slawson. He wouldn't comment on what provoked the violence.

"Once we've laid the charge, to speculate on the motive would be inappropriate. The details of motive will come out in the court," he said Tuesday.

However, he did acknowledge that the victims and the accused were known to each other.

Major crimes investigators from Iqaluit and Edmonton arrived in Cambridge Bay on Monday morning. They had been delayed by blizzard conditions. In the meantime, the bodies of the deceased had been covered in tarps and left where they had fallen. Slawson said the circumstances left police with no choice.

"You want the scene to be reported as it is, as its found," he said, adding that the courts rely heavily on photographs, measurements and forensic details, all of which are critical in a murder investigation and could be compromised if things are moved.