Aboriginal leaders are calling for a full public inquiry after 26-year-old Craig McDougall was shot and killed by Winnipeg police on Saturday.
McDougall was a member of the Wasagamack First Nation reserve. He was also the nephew of J.J. Harper -- a native leader shot and killed by police 20 years ago after being mistaken for a car thief.
"We are now officially calling for a full public inquiry into the Winnipeg Police Services given the recent increase in complaints and incidents in deadly and violent actions against our people," St. Theresa Point First Nation Chief Robert Flett told reporters Tuesday.
"We will also be seeking public support to demand accountability of the Winnipeg Police Services."
The officers involved were responding to calls for help from a house in west-end Winnipeg at about 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
Police say McDougall refused to drop a knife and, after efforts to subdue him with a Taser failed, they shot him multiple times.
Police did not make clear why the Taser device did not work.
"The recent killings of our youth will no longer be tolerated," said Flett. "We are planning further legal and political actions."
He said formal complaints will be filed with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission and the United Nations.
McDougall's death marks the second time in less than two weeks that a person died after an encounter with Winnipeg Police.
Michael Langan, 17, died shortly after being Tasered by police. Police said he too was armed with a knife and refused to drop it.
It was the force's first fatality involving a Taser.
With files from The Canadian Press
