Drones and bangers were used in an RCMP search near Yellowknife’s School Draw Avenue but “there was no gun activity,” the area’s MLA said on Tuesday, quoting the NWT’s Department of Justice.
Residents in the vicinity of the Copper Sky condos at the top of School Draw Avenue said they had heard what sounded like gunfire at around 5am.
One person described being woken to find their partner telling them to get on the floor as the apparent gunshots rang out. They described multiple RCMP vehicles outside their window.
Responding to an enquiry about a possible shooting, RCMP spokesperson Christina Zoernig neither confirmed a shooting had taken place nor ruled out gunfire, saying an investigation had begun.
Kate Reid, the Great Slave MLA, said on Tuesday afternoon she had been told by the Department of Justice that the RCMP’s federal unit was carrying out a search in the area at the time.
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“There were drones and bangers used throughout the search. The RCMP have confirmed there was no gun activity and no injuries,” Reid said the department had told her.
“Although this was a search warrant that did not involve territorial resources, the Department has initiated discussions on improving communications with the federal unit, G Division and the GNWT in the future,” the department stated according to Reid. G Division is the name for the regional RCMP division that serves the NWT.
RCMP declined to elaborate on their earlier statement, in which they said a “criminal investigation is ongoing” and police would have no further comment for the time being.
Earlier, police said they “would like reassure the public that there is no risk to public safety.”
