Moncton 
Credit: RCMP
The regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations for New Brunswick has confirmed that the man who died in an RCMP shooting Friday night was Rodney Levi of the Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation.
Roger Augustine, the regional chief representing New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, said Saturday that Levi was shot near the community, about 30 kilometres west of Miramichi. He added that Levi was a relative, saying he has a grandson in the area who shares Levi’s last name.
The RCMP said officers responded to a complaint about an “unwanted man” in a home near the community at 7:40 p.m. local time
“When police arrived, they were confronted by a man who was carrying knives,” said RCMP Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh.
She said officers used a stun gun several times but were unable to subdue the man.
An officer then discharged a firearm. The suspect was declared dead in hospital around 9 p.m.
Chief Bill Ward of the Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation confirmed in a Facebook message to CBC News that the latest victim was a member of his First Nation.
“I’m so mad and sad, I don’t know what to think,” Ward said in a message on his Facebook page that elicited scores of posts offering condolences.
The victim has also been identified by friends as Rodney Levi.
“My bro Rodney Levi, my childhood friend … Got tears in my eyes thinking how this happened,” wrote Dwayne Everett Ward.
“Shot twice by the police … I pray for all your family, I know they’re hurting right now … I’m overwhelmed with sadness about all this.”
There have been calls since for a broader inquiry to examine systemic bias against Indigenous people in the province’s policing and criminal justice systems.
Jake Stewart, New Brunswick’s minister of Aboriginal affairs, has said he supports the call, saying the province has a problem with systemic racism toward Indigenous people.
On Friday, the commissioner of the RCMP, Brenda Lucki, issued a statement saying it is her responsibility to ensure the RCMP is free of racism, discrimination and bias.
She also said she struggled with the concept of systemic racism when asked about the issue.
“I did acknowledge that we, like others, have racism in our organization, but I did not say definitively that systemic racism exists in the RCMP,” she said. “I should have.”
“As many have said, I do know that systemic racism is part of every institution, the RCMP included. Throughout our history and today, we have not always treated racialized and Indigenous people fairly.”
Augustine said “systemic racism is not owned by the RCMP.”
“And it’s not owned by any government in any country. Systemic racism is something that has to be addressed by the community itself, and in this case it’s New Brunswick. Racism exists in all peoples. Racism is about judging people. When (you) walk down the streets and you see someone you don’t like, you judge their clothing, the colour of their skin …. that’s racism.”
Quebec police watchdog investigates RCMP-involved New Brunswick fatal shooting
Quebec’s police watchdog says it has been called in to investigate a report of an RCMP-involved fatal shooting of a man in New Brunswick.
The independent police investigation agency, the Bureau des enquetes independantes, says it has been told that Mounties responded to a report of a disturbed person in the Miramichi area on Friday night.
It says preliminary information indicates RCMP officers found the man armed with a knife in a building and used an electronic stun gun on him several times without success.
Investigators say the man was allegedly shot when he charged police, was given first aid and transported to hospital where he was declared dead.
It says eight people have been assigned to determine what happened.
New Brunswick RCMP were not immediately available for comment.
This is the second fatal police-involved shooting in New Brunswick this month.
On June 4, Chantel Moore, 26, died after being shot by an Edmundston Police Department officer.
Moore, from a First Nation in British Columbia, had moved to the community to be near her mother and six-year-old daughter.
Quebec’s Bureau des enquetes independantes is also investigating that shooting. Police have said an officer performing a wellness check allegedly encountered a woman with a knife.
There have been calls since for a broader inquiry to examine systemic bias against Indigenous people in the province’s policing and criminal justice systems.
Jake Stewart, New Brunswick’s minister of Aboriginal affairs has said he supports the call, saying the province has a problem with systemic racism toward Indigenous people.
— The Canadian Press