Police find no criminal charges warranted in Inukjuak police shooting; officer acted in self-defence

Quebec's director of criminal prosecutions has concluded that the police shooting death in Inukjuak last July did not warrant criminal charges against the officers involved.

On July 17, 2025, police responded to a 911 call reporting a hostage situation inside a home where a man was allegedly holding children. Upon arrival, officers learned from a woman at the door that she had not called police. Nonetheless, they entered to verify the safety of people inside.

As one officer approached the bedrooms, a man emerged abruptly and lunged at him with a long knife, stabbing the officer in the hand. The officer retreated toward the living room while the man, still armed with the knife, charged again. The officer fell to the floor, and the man attempted another stabbing.

At that moment, both officers fired simultaneously. The man was struck four times—in the head and thorax—and collapsed onto a mattress in the living room. He was pronounced dead at a local health clinic at 20:40. A forensic pathologist attributed death to polytrauma from gunshot wounds.

The prosecutor determined that sections 25(1) and 25(3) of the Criminal Code—which protect officers using reasonably necessary force in self-defence or to protect others—applied. The officers acted on reasonable grounds, used only the force necessary under the circumstances, and faced an imminent threat that justified lethal response.