RCMP Murder Native Mother in Alert Bay
corporate news report
Sunday, March 02, 2003
The village of Alert Bay was awash in allegations yesterday after a knife-wielding local woman was shot and killed in front of her nine-year-old daughter by a Mountie. Residents identified the dead mother as Lorraine Moon, but the 40-year-old also went by the name Lorraine Jacobson. She and her son Lance, 11, and daughter Summer had moved to the community of 1,500 from the Courtenay area about five months ago after the children's father died.
"It's tough for the kids and tough for the community," said local Christine Johnny.
"The kids are staying with relatives in Alert Bay. They've been through an awful lot."
RCMP were called to a domestic dispute at the Whe la la First Nations community about 8 p.m. Friday. Officers were confronted by a woman brandishing a large butcher knife, but attempts to disarm her failed, said Sgt. Lee Omilusik.
A single shot was fired and Moon was hit in the chest. Locals identified the officer involved in the shooting as Russ Chanin, an eight-year veteran.
An ambulance was called but officers decided it would be faster to take Moon to Alert Bay Hospital in their cruiser. She was dead on arrival.
Summer was home at the time of the shooting. Lance was staying with relatives.
Omilusik said the officer involved in the "unfortunate incident" is undergoing a critical debriefing. Asked if the officer fired his weapon because he believed his life was in jeopardy, Omilusik replied: "Absolutely.
"He's pretty traumatized," Omilusik said. "It's not something you enjoy doing."
Locals want to know why Moon was shot in the chest rather than a wounding blow and why the officers didn't wait for an ambulance.
"When we use deadly force our training is to shoot at dead-centre mass and that's what the member did," Omilusik said. "They called an ambulance but her condition was such that the members felt that they could get her to the hospital faster. Unfortunately, it didn't work out."
The shooting is being investigated by the RCMP major crime unit from Courtenay and the B.C. coroner's service. The officer is off work pending the outcome of the probes.
Yvon Gesinghaus empathized with the relatives of Moon. Her nephew -- promising 29-year-old native artist Anthany Dawson -- died of asphyxiation after being forcibly detained during an arrest by Victoria police in August 1999.
Moon is the third native person to die at the hands of Vancouver Island police.
Carver Joe Peters, 34, of Alert Bay was shot in the head by an RCMP dogmaster in August 1994. "We're crushed to see that this is still continuing," Gesinghaus said. "I fear for the family of this young woman and pray they'll get better treatment than we did."
Police were cleared of any wrongdoing in the deaths of Dawson and Peters. Dawson's family is pursuing a civil suit.
Mounties change their version of Alert Bay shooting death
corporate news story
ALERT BAY -- The official story on how RCMP Const. Russ Chanin came to shoot and kill 40-year-old Lorraine Jacobson while responding to a domestic dispute in the Whe-La-La-U neighbourhood on Friday, changed Wednesday.
On Saturday, police said Jacobson "was brandishing a large butcher knife" when Chanin arrived, "and started to come toward the member with the knife."
Now police said the attack did not happen until several minutes later, after Chanin went to the back of the house after finding the front door locked.
From the backyard, Chanin saw Jacobson inside, "armed with a large butcher knife" and "moving toward a male in a threatening manner," police said Wednesday.
Somebody inside unlocked the door and Chanin entered to protect the male, police said. Jacobson then changed her focus to Chanin and approached him. After Jacobson ignored orders to put the knife down, Chanin fired a single shot to the chest, which killed her, police said.
The new information followed a heated meeting Tuesday night at 'Namgis rec centre, where Mounties faced more than 200 citizens wanting to know why police killed one of their neighbours.
Some greeted the change in the RCMP story with skepticism.
"When I was (at the meeting) it was pretty heated, but I left early because I didn't feel like hearing any more lies," said Richard Glendale.
"People asked why pepper spray wasn't used, but they said it would not have done the job. They say the cop asked her to drop (the knife) three times, but I heard they just gave her one chance.
They said shooting was his only choice.
"The cops can't be trusted," said Glendale.
'Namgis chief Bill Cranmer was one of the people who called the meeting.
"The feeling was that she should not have been shot, and I agree," said Cranmer. "I think he made a mistake ... I don't feel the shooting was unavoidable, I believe he could have backed away."
Cranmer says his community is waiting to see whether the ongoing investigation will result in charges. He is encouraged by Solicitor General Rich Coleman's announcement Wednesday that an independent provincial investigator will review the shooting.
Jacobson's children, 11-year-old Lance and nine-year-old Summer, will live with relatives at Whe-La-La-U, and continue going to the same school, Cranmer said. Summer, who was in the house Friday, heard the shot that killed her mother.