A 23-year-Wekweéti man faces a slew of charges following a firearm incident in the community last week.
On Aug. 29, around 6 p.m., Behchoko RCMP received a call that a man was in possession of a firearm and that he posed “potential harm,” to the community, stated an RCMP news release.
The report prompted a large-scale response from RCMP, who deployed additional resources, including Police Dog Service, to Wekweéti by airplane. The plane arrived in the community around 10:45 p.m.
The male suspect was located in the community by police, but fled the scene. A loaded shotgun was retrieved by RCMP at the location the man was last seen.
Police discontinued their search after nightfall. Overnight, officers monitored a residence where the suspect was last seen.
The search for the man resumed the next morning with the help of Wekweéti residents who offered tips about his location throughout the day.
Acting on one of those tips, police located and arrested the male -unarmed – after stopping a vehicle around 8 p.m. on Aug. 30.
He was taken into custody without incident and flown to Yellowknife on Aug. 31, along with the responding RCMP members.
Bruno Simpson has is charged with:
- 2 counts of Unauthorized possession of a firearm Section 91(1) CC;
- Disobeying a court order Section 127 CC;
- Pointing a firearm Section 87(2) CC;
- Possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace Section 88(2) CC;
- Careless use of a firearm Section 86(1) CC.