NWT RCMP warns against vigilante action following attacks at Fort McPherson
FORT MCPHERSON, NWT — Police in the Northwest Territories are warning residents not to take the law into their own hands after a group attacked two men suspected of drug trafficking and stealing a vehicle in Fort McPherson.
RCMP says they found a truck reported stolen Wednesday morning, but it refused to stop and drove off.
Later that day, police say, a group of residents swarmed two men just outside the community and attacked them, injuring them.
Insp. Yannick Hamel says people involved in vigilante justice could endanger themselves and others, obstruct investigations and be arrested.
RCMP says they recovered 43 bags of suspected crack cocaine and $2,230 from the truck during their investigation.
British Columbia’s Nuno De Sousa and Zachary Sullivan face several charges.
They are charged with possession for the purposes of human trafficking, possession of crime proceeds, theft of a truck, dangerous operations, fleeing a police officer, mischief in excess of $5,000 and failure to comply.
Earlier this week, CBC reported that a group of people in Aklavik, NWT, demonstrated outside the home of someone suspected of dealing illegal drugs.
“We understand the frustrations being expressed,” Hamel, the officer in charge of the RCMP’s Northern District, said in a statement.
“We know that people in our communities want to feel safe. However, no one can operate outside the law to confront those who are believed to be breaking the law.”
Hamel added that police investigations are complex and can take time.
“While the public may want faster results, we cannot evade our legal responsibilities,” Hamel said.
He encouraged members of the public to report crime and suspicious behavior to their local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 22, 2023.
