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Woman dead in police shooting: RCMP
Galit Rodan and Laura Busch Northern News Services Published Thursday, March 15, 2012
An unidentified woman exited a house on Glick Court at about 6 p.m. with a long-barreled firearm, says a statement issued by the RCMP. She walked toward police officers with this weapon and after repeated demands for her to put down the firearm, she pointed the gun at the officers and police shots were fired. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Stanton Hospital. Police had been in a standoff with the woman for hours after being alerted to a suicidal woman at about 1:30 p.m. When officers first attended the scene, they found that the woman was armed and had barricaded herself in the house, stated RCMP. Other details about the shooting cannot be released at this time, Sgt. Brad Kaeding told Yellowknifer, though more questions are expected to be answered Thursday. Because the shooting involved Yellowknife police officers, local police can not investigate the incident, stated the release. "It's an external police agency (investigating) but at this point we can't specify further until they actually arrive on scene," said Kaeding. They are expected to begin work as early as Thursday. Officers take man into custody A man living next door to a Yellowknife house where the shots were fired said he hadn't heard any shots, but saw police arrest a man who was trying to escape in a truck. Winston Ernst, who lives at 3 Glick Court, estimated about 18 to 20 police, including a tactical unit, flooded his tiny street near Dagenais Drive and Finlayson Drive Wednesday night. Ernst said he watched a man in a pick-up truck attempt to reverse out of the driveway next door around 7:30 p.m. "He got backed up a little bit and then the police rammed him from behind," said Ernst. "Well, they didn't really ram him but they stopped him from going backward." Police officers then took the man into custody. He described the man as being in his 30s with black hair and a moustache. There was what appeared to be a red medical bag and a black jacket, as well as other unidentifiable articles strewn across the snow where Dagenais Drive meets Glick Court, untouched by emergency responders on scene. Ernst said police had warned him earlier to stay inside because something was going on on his street, but hadn't given him much other information. "It was a bit concerning, I guess," he said. "It would have been nice to know it was happening right next door. You see SWAT team guys with guns running around your house, you kinda ... We've got a two-year-old, so ...” he trailed off. Ernst said he and wife Julie as well as their son stayed in the back room of their home for some time during the incident. Police cordoned off Dagenais Drive at Finlayson Drive through the night Wednesday. Ernst said they called again to let his family know the situation was under control.
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