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CTV News
11-07-2025
- CTV News
Death of Indigenous man in Williams Lake ‘tragic,' but no grounds to charge officers, IIO finds
Warning: This story mentions suicide, which may be disturbing for some readers. Resources for people in crisis have been included at the bottom of the article. Three years and a day after Rojun Alphonse took his own life while heavily armed police officers surrounded his home, the investigation into the police response has concluded there is no evidence that any officer committed an offence. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. released its public report on the July 10, 2022, incident Friday, calling the death a 'tragic situation,' and recommending that the RCMP review its policies and training practices for responding to similar incidents. Alphonse was a member of Williams Lake First Nation, and police were called to his home on the day he died because he was having a mental health crisis and family members were concerned he might harm himself. The IIO report does not refer to Alphonse by name, anonymizing him – as it does all people killed or seriously injured during police incidents – with the initials AP, short for 'affected person.' Alphonse was publicly identified by family and community members, who demanded an independent public inquiry into his death at a news conference in July 2022. 'What should have resulted in a welfare check, with properly trained individuals to de-escalate the situation and talk Rojun down, instead resulted in a response of a swarm of (Emergency Response Team) personnel with automatic weapons, body armour, armoured vehicles and tear gas,' said WLFN Chief Willie Sellars, at the time. Read more: Indigenous leaders call for inquiry into fatal RCMP incident in Williams Lake In compiling her report on the matter, IIO chief civilian director Jessica Berglund reviewed statements from three civilian witnesses and 19 police officer witnesses, as well as police records, audio and video recordings of the incident and autopsy and toxicology reports. According to the document, family members called 911 shortly before 3:45 a.m. on the date of Alphonse's death to report that he was intoxicated, suicidal and in possession of a loaded rifle. At the request of police, the emergency call-taker asked the family members to leave the home. Two of them did, but a third – a child – remained, unbeknownst to police, according to the IIO report. 'This feels unnecessary' The first police officers to arrive at the scene requested crisis negotiators be dispatched and began evacuating neighbouring homes, but opted not to attempt to contact Alphonse because they felt they lacked the necessary skills and training to de-escalate the situation. The document indicates crisis negotiators began working remotely on the case after 5 a.m., and made their first attempts to contact Alphonse around 5:30 a.m. In the intervening time, one of the family members had attempted to re-enter the home because she was frustrated with a lack of communication from police, according to the document. Police stopped her from re-entering, fearing that a hostage situation could ensue. Efforts to contact Alphonse were unsuccessful, and by 5:40 a.m., the family member – referred to in the document as 'CW2,' short for 'civilian witness 2' – was expressing concern that the response from police was overkill. 'CW2 said she did not believe the police response was warranted and commented that 'this feels unnecessary now,' as she believed the prior interactions were related to his intoxication,' the report reads. 'She also believed that the AP had slept for a few hours and would be fine.' ERT and tear gas The lack of a response from Alphonse led police to assess the situation as becoming riskier, prompting them to call the Emergency Response Team, which travelled from Prince George and began arriving during the 8 a.m. hour, according to the document. Shortly after the ERT arrived, police saw 'the face of another person who was not the AP' in one of the home's windows. CW2 confirmed that the child – referred to as 'CW3' – was inside, according to the report. 'CW2 had initially believed that CW3 was at another person's home for the night,' the report reads. 'Police requested that CW2 ask CW3 to come out of the home, and CW2 told police by phone that CW3 didn't want to leave and was not in danger.' The presence of the child in the home led officers to reassess the situation, according to the document. Using a drone, they observed CW3 and confirmed the child was not a hostage, then began employing tactics intended to get the two people to exit the home. The child exited around 11:15 a.m., but Alphonse did not. After speaking with CW3 and concluding that the rifle was likely in the same room as Alphonse, police decided that his lack of response to their calls indicated that he was not willing to leave the home voluntarily, according to the IIO report. In fact, unbeknownst to police, Alphonse's phone was in his truck, not on his person. However, he also did not respond to other police attempts to communicate with him, both via CW2's cellphone, which was in the house with him, and via loudspeakers. Police deployed tear gas shortly before 11:50 a.m., but Alphonse did not exit the home, prompting them to look for other ways to confirm his well-being. 'At 12:10 p.m., police flew a drone into the home to confirm where the AP was, but the drone malfunctioned,' the report reads. 'Finally, at 12:28 p.m., a robot equipped to record video successfully entered the home and located the AP, who was deceased.' A forensic examination of the scene and an autopsy of the body confirmed that Alphonse died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the report. Officers followed their training The IIO is tasked with investigating all incidents involving police officers in B.C. that result in death or serious harm to a member of the public, regardless of whether there is any allegation of wrongdoing. In this case, Berglund concluded that officers had acted lawfully and that the tactics they used in an effort to get Alphonse to leave the residence 'aligned with police training for this type of situation.' Because Alphonse had a firearm, it was reasonable for officers to believe that he could be a threat to them or others. Even though the situation 'may not have felt dangerous' to Alphonse's family members, it posed a significant risk in the eyes of police officers, according to Berglund. 'The IIO's mandate is to assess whether the officers' actions were criminal, and they were not in this case,' the report reads. 'Instead, this is a tragic situation where a man who was loved by his family and his community took his own life.' 'Bigger questions' raised Berglund's conclusion notes that she met with family and community members in October 2024 to discuss the investigation's findings. 'During that meeting, significant concerns were raised by participants with respect to ongoing discrimination against Indigenous people by the Williams Lake RCMP, and that the police response to this incident was more forceful and severe than if the AP had been non-Indigenous,' the report reads. 'This investigation did not reveal any evidence that racism influenced the involved officers' approach to this incident. While the IIO's mandate does not include examining systemic issues in policing, it is important to acknowledge that Indigenous communities in Canada have long faced systemic discrimination by police – a reality documented in numerous studies and recognized in both government and RCMP reports.' In response to these concerns, Berglund concluded she should refer the case to the RCMP and its Civilian Review and Complaints Commission 'to assess whether changes to policy or training are necessary with respect to how police officers respond to similar incidents involving Indigenous people and communities in the future.' If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources that are available: Hope for Wellness Help Line (1-855-242-3310) Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline (1-833-456-4566) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (1-800-463-2338) Crisis Services Canada (1-833-456-4566 or text 45645) Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) With files from CTV News Vancouver's Lisa Steacy
Hamilton Spectator
25-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated in Williams Lake
Over 130 people took part in this year's National Indigenous Peoples Day parade which marched through Williams Lake on Saturday, June 21. The parade set off from the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council office on First Avenue South and wound through the city streets, with people singing, dancing and smiling as they made their way to Boitanio Park. Among the paraders were Stswecem'c Xget'tem First Nation (Canoe Creek and Dog Creek), Xatśūll First Nation, Tsq'escenemc (Canim Lake), Canoe Creek Daycare, Esk'etemc's Sxoxomic Community School, Knucwentwecw Society and many more. School District 27's Indigenous Role Models Michaellaine Evans and Terrence Ramos shared a float with friends, and several paraders shared candy, or a splash of water from their water guns, with the crowd. Williams Lake First Nation led the parade with Kukpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars as well as local veteran and Treaty Manager for Xatśūll Gordon Keener walking ahead of the parade floats. David Johnny from the Chilcotin Dream Band, David Noskey, Tanya Hutch and Hilly Johnson brought live entertainment to Boitanio Park where vendors sold food and crafts. There were also booths set up by different organizations to share information about local services and activities including rock painting, ball hockey and bouncy castles were sure to be a hit. The Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy set up a story walk among the many booths set up in the park including Work BC, Taseko Gibraltar and the All Nations Healing House. The event was put together by Williams Lake First Nation, Xatsull First Nation, the Tsq'escenemc (Canim Lake) and Stswecem'c Xget'tem First Nations, began at 11 a.m. with a welcoming ceremony, booths, vendors and activities in the park until 4 p.m. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
28-02-2025
- General
- CBC
Williams Lake First Nation calls on feds to support revitalization of former residential school site
The Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) is asking for an investment from the federal government to help revitalize St. Joseph's Mission, a former residential school site near Williams Lake, B.C., that the nation purchased in 2023. WLFN started investigating deaths and disappearances at the residential school shortly after the Tk'emlúps te Secwepemc First Nation shared preliminary findings from a 2021 ground-penetrating radar survey that indicated the presence of 215 potential unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. WLFN purchased the St. Joseph's Mission site from a private owner for $1.2 million, with help from the province. WLFN Kúkwpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars said last year that while the future of the site is uncertain, he hoped it would be a "place of healing." "It needs to be a place of closure, of gathering in a good way, of honouring our ancestors and survivors," Sellars said in 2024. "People want to go to the site, and people want to honour ancestors and honour the survivors, but right now, it's a crime scene. We can't gather there." St. Joseph's Mission site should be 'place of healing': WLFN The First Nation is looking for funds to get it to that place. "We can't leave the site like this," said project lead Whitney Spearing. "It's a cold, desolate place, and it's impossible for people to gather safely." WLFN submitted a proposal to the Canadian government in December, but says it has not heard anything back. "How can the people of Canada learn more about the legacy of the residential school system if they're not able to visit these places?" Sellars said. "I'm calling on the Government of Canada to step up and make an actual investment in a place of healing at the site of the former St. Joseph's Mission." The federal government has given millions of dollars to First Nations across the country to help with site searches, research and memorials, including more than $8.6 million to WLFN alone. CBC News requested comment from the Ministry of Crown-Indigenous Relations, but did not receive a response in time for publication. Sugarcane up for best doc at Oscars The call comes as Sellars heads to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards, where the film Sugarcane, which explores the history of St. Joseph's Mission, is nominated for Best Documentary Feature. Sellars said this marks an important moment in Canada's journey toward reconciliation. "The amount of messages and the amount of support we've seen from not just the Indigenous communities across this country, but from the non-Indigenous people in this country has been pretty staggering and something that makes you proud of this reconciliation movement that we're seeing in our territories and in this country." Sugarcane has been screened at a number of festivals, including Sundance, where it won a directing award, and at the White House in December. It began streaming on Disney+ last year. Should the film, directed by Julian Brace NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, win on Sunday night, Sellars said he will join the filmmakers on stage. While he's excited to be taking in the spectacle, he wants the message of the film to remain in the spotlight. "At the end of the day, it really is about helping tell the story of those survivors who are really the most courageous people that I have ever met in my entire life."
