Big Island Lake Cree Nation. Photo courtesy Facebook, Lyle George.
Pierceland RCMP are saying a confrontation on Big Island Lake Cree Nation ended “without incident” on Wednesday afternoon after a number of people were taken into custody.
That morning, the school was shut down for the day due to what those living in the townsite describe as a standoff. There are about 50 homes in the townsite, and community members say suspects locked themselves into a home near where the school’s teachers live.
Witnesses were willing to speak on a condition of anonymity, saying recent gang activity has them too scared to speak on the record about what they saw.
They say RCMP officers, along with canine officers, were on scene for multiple hours. Eventually the house emptied out, with eight people taken into custody, witnesses say. They say six children were among the last to exit the home.
Community members said lately there has been a greater presence of gangs and use of crystal meth and crack on Big Island Lake, and are concerned this incident is connected. They also cite a delayed response from RCMP and local leadership to these issues.
Late last month, 32-year-old Anthony Mitsuing of Loon Lake was arrested for first-degree murder in the death of man on the reserve. Mitsuing is currently in custody, scheduled to appear in court next week for the murder of Jordan Sandfly.
The RCMP says it will give more details on Thursday.