SANIRAJAK, NVT. — The RCMP officer who shot and killed a Nunavut man in 2017 says the man aimed what appeared to be a real gun but was later discovered to be a pellet gun.
Jeremy Nuvviaq, who is 39, was shot by Const. Stephen Currie on May 1, 2017, in Sanirajak after police got reports of a suicidal man with a gun.
Two RCMP officers parked their truck near Nuvviaq’s home and confronted him carrying carbine rifles and wearing body armour.
Currie told a coroner’s inquest today that Nuvviaq came out of his house, raised what appeared to be a gun and told the officer he had him in his sights.
Currie says he feared for his life and fired a single shot at Nuvviaq’s torso, which led to the man’s death a couple hours later at the local health centre.
The inquest is scheduled to run until Friday and a six-person jury is expected to determine how Nuvviaq died and make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.
