YELLOWKNIFE - A man accused in the fatal shooting of an RCMP officer uttered only a single word when he made his first appearance in court Thursday to be formally charged with first-degree murder.

Emrah Bulatci, 23, responded "Yes'' when the judge asked him if he understood what he was being charged with.

But Bulatci's eyes darted around the court as if he was fascinated by what was unfolding around him. About an hour earlier, he had walked into the territorial court building with his head up and looking around intently past his four-officer police escort.

He was taken from the courtroom less than five minutes after being brought in. He will remain in custody in Yellowknife until Dec. 13, when he is scheduled to make his next appearance.

Judge Robert Gordin suggested Bulatci may make that appearance on video.

Although Bulatci was handcuffed on his way into the courthouse, he was not wearing them in court. It wasn't clear if he was wearing leg restraints.

He has yet to retain a permanent lawyer, said Terri Nguyen, who acted on Bulatci's behalf Thursday.

Prosecutor Christine Gagnon said no bail application has yet been made.

Bulatci, 23, was arrested after eluding police for almost a week after the Oct. 6 shooting death of Const. Chris Worden in Hay River, about 400 kilometres south of Yellowknife. Worden was gunned down early in the morning while answering a trouble call near a suspected drug house. His body was found in a wooded area.

A Canada-wide warrant was issued two days later for Bulatci's arrest. He was eventually tracked down in Edmonton and arrested Oct. 12 after a standoff outside a housing complex that lasted several hours.

RCMP have declined to answer questions about the circumstances surrounding Worden's death, including why it took police so long to find the officer after he was shot, what they know about the fatal attack and what type of firearm was used.

Security was tight in court Thursday. A metal detector was used on all visitors -- highly unusual in the territorial capital -- and at least six security officers hovered outside the courtroom.

RCMP have also charged Jarred Dale Nagle, 21, with being an accessory after the fact to murder.

Nagle was one of two people taken into custody at the same time that Bulatci was arrested. Nagle was remanded in custody and appeared briefly in Edmonton Court of Queen's Bench on Monday.

The second person detained, an adult female, was released without charges.