A Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation woman from near Tofino, B.C., has died after being shot by police during a well-being check in Edmundston, N.B., multiple family members and friends have confirmed.
In a statement released by the Edmundston Police Force, the department said that officers were called to check on the well-being of a 26-year-old woman at an apartment building on Canada Road at about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday (June 4).
“The responding police officer was confronted at the scene by a woman holding a knife who made threats,” the statement reads. “The officer discharged a firearm.”
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate her.
Friends and family have since confirmed the woman was Chantel Moore, a young mother who had recently moved to the small New Brunswick town.
According to multiple family members, Moore was shot five times by police. The Edmundston Police Force has not confirmed this detail.
An autopsy is scheduled and the police investigation remains ongoing. The force has also requested an independent agency investigate the incident.
There is no independent police investigations unit in New Brunswick.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, which investigates police-related matters that result in serious injury or death, has been called into New Brunswick to probe these kinds of incidents in the past. Black Press Media has reached out to the agency for further details.
Fundraiser launched for woman’s daughter, funeral expenses
As friends and family took to social media to mourn the loss of Moore, a GoFundMe account was also launched on Thursday by relatives.
The funds are for the family travel, funeral costs, and any remaining funds will be given to her mother and daughter, the fundraiser page reads.
“Her mother and daughter are in need of family support during this tragic time and six members of her family are planning to travel to New Brunswick to support her and practice traditional Nuu-Chah-Nulth grieving protocols.”
@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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