Tribal Council calls for justice in police shooting death of Tla-o-qui-aht woman

Friday, June 5th, 2020 12:59pm

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Chantel Moore of Tla-o-qui-aht. (Facebook photo)
Press Statement from the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council

First and foremost, the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council would like to send our deepest condolences to the family and community impacted by the recent death of a valued and loved Nuu-chah-nulth member, Chantel Moore of Tla-o-qui-aht. Our deepest and sincerest prayers of strength and love are sent to everyone who is grieving this heartbreaking loss.         

Second, we want to speak out against the senseless shooting by police of a young Indigenous woman on the one-year anniversary of the issuance of MMIW report and highlight that killings are still happening.

These police shootings of Indigenous peoples have to stop.  

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council calls for immediate action in our request for an independent investigation on the police fatally shooting a 26-year-old Nuu-chah-nulth woman in the early hours of Thursday June 4th in Edmunston, New Brunswick. 

The family and community of Chantel needs answers as to why she was shot on a health check by the police. Justice must not wait and every power must be exerted to ensure that justice is served in an appropriate, immediate, and respectful way.  

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council has reached out to the police detachment responsible for the death of Chantel Moore, seeking clarification and answers to this untimely and sudden death. National Chief Perry Bellegarde and MP Gord Johns have talked to the head of the RCMP to ensure the investigation is independent and expedited. 

AFN Regional Chief of New Brunswick Roger Augustine, and Chief Patricia Bernard of Maliseet Nation have all been reached out to for their support to ensure that justice does not wait for the family and community of this devastating loss. 

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council calls for immediate action on this request and to be updated throughout the entirely of the process. We call for action on implementing measures to ensure conduct and police practices are done in a way that de-escalates a situation and to use trauma-informed practice when doing so.

We ask that changes be made to police conduct in this sense to ensure more lives are not lost in this devastating manner.

The  Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council provides programs and services to over 10,000 registered members. The role of the NTC is to represent 14 First Nations in three regions stretching 300 kilometers of the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island from Brooks Peninsula in the north to Point-no-Point in the south. The NTC represents Ahousaht, Ditidaht, Ehattesaht/Chinehkint, Hesquiaht, Hupacasath, Huu-ay- aht, Kyuquot/Checklesaht, Mowachaht /Muchalaht, Nuchatlaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Toquaht, Tseshaht, Uchucklesaht and Ucluelet First Nations and provides a variety of programs and services to them.