Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - September 14, 2024 - A New Brunswick First Nation has called for a thorough investigation after an RCMP officer fatally shot an Indigenous man during a recent wellness check.

The incident occurred when two officers confronted an armed man in mental distress in his home.

The Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting, which involved one officer using a stun gun to subdue the man, but the second officer shot him with his gun.

The victim, identified as Iggy Dedam, was a member of the Ni'kmaq Notji Apogenmoet, a local Indigenous group that helps with wellness checks on the Elsipogtog First Nation.

New Brunswick Liberal Leader Susan Holt expressed her heartache for the family of Steve 'Iggy' Dedam and the community of Elsipogtog, stating that mental health supports in the province are broken.

A 2021 report on systemic racism in policing found that police training on de-escalation is critical when officers respond to wellness checks.

The provincial Green party member Kevin Arseneau called for an Indigenous-led inquiry into system racism in the province, but the provincial government has rejected the request.