WARNING: This story contains disturbing details.
In less than a year and a half, three men with ties to Wapekeka First Nation have been shot and killed by police in northwestern Ontario.
The latest incident, which occurred in the remote Oji-Cree community on Thursday, led to the death of 23-year-old Tyresse Kenny Padro Cree Roundsky.
“His memories are alive in all of us,” Wapekeka First Nation said in a news release issued Saturday.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is looking into the circumstances surrounding Roundsky’s death. The independent government agency investigates the conduct of police that results in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm at a person.
According to the SIU, an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was inside Wapekeka’s youth centre, which serves as a courtroom, at about noon on Thursday when he was approached by a man armed with a knife.
“An interaction ensued, and the officer discharged his firearm. The man was struck,” the SIU said in a news release issued Saturday.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, the SIU said. While the agency identified the man as 24, Wapekeka First Nation said his 24th birthday would have been in October. A post-mortem examination was scheduled for Sunday.
“Three investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case,” the SIU said. “At this time, one subject official and one civilian OPP witness has been designated.”
Roundsky’s death comes less than two weeks after 40-year-old Eric Nothing, a member of Wapekeka, was shot and killed by a Nishnawbe Aski Police Service officer in Deer Lake First Nation.
Nothing’s father, Bruce Wallace Frogg, was shot and killed by an OPP officer in June 2024 in Kenora. The SIU recently cleared the officer of any wrongdoing in connection with Frogg’s death.
“Our hearts are with Chief Brennan Sainnawap and the people of Wapekeka First Nation as they deal with yet another devastating loss,” Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of Nishnawbe Aski Nation said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“We held an emergency call with the community and all the service agencies this afternoon to ensure immediate supports for all those impacted by this tragic event. We will make sure that they have all the help they need in the days ahead,” Fiddler said.
In a statement issued Thursday evening, the OPP said the officer involved in the incident was from the Sioux Lookout detachment.
Fewer than 500 people live in Wapekeka First Nation, located about 450 kilometres northeast of Sioux Lookout.
On Sunday, Morgan Fletcher, president of the Kenora District Law Association, issued a statement about Roundsky’s death in the community’s makeshift courtroom, saying a number of lawyers, court staff and a member of the judiciary were present.
Many remote communities depend on fly-in court sessions, “where judges and lawyers attend court in the community at a designated public building,” she said.
“This is necessary as many communities do not have adequate internet services to allow individuals to attend court remotely, and there is no courthouse infrastructure.”
While courthouses in urban settings feature safety precautions such as metal detectors and security screening, these makeshift courtrooms operate on an open-door policy, Fletcher said.
“There is something to be said for fewer barriers between lawyers, court staff and the public. In a world of growing centralization that can leave individuals feeling isolated from the justice system, maintaining ties between justice participants and the community is of key importance,” she said.
“Unfortunately, this also leaves justice participants susceptible to situations like what unfolded in Wapekeka.”
Consequently, Fletcher said, the law association “continues to be willing to work with government at all levels, as well as police and court services staff, to develop improved security policies and planning.”
The SIU urges anyone with information about the investigation into Thursday’s incident, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online.
Mental health counselling and crisis support are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat at www.hopeforwellness.ca.
