Review finds use of force ‘appropriate’ in Dene man’s arrest, RCMP say

NWT RCMP say they met with Dene Nation officials and offered to show them body-worn camera footage of a criticized December 2025 arrest of a Dene man.

The Dene Nation issued a statement late last year criticizing Yellowknife police for allegedly using excessive force during the arrest, saying the incident left a 25-year-old Indigenous man with severe hypothermia and frostbite that required surgery in Edmonton.

Dene National Chief George Mackenzie called for urgent reforms to ensure accountability and transparency within the police force, including cultural awareness training.

“We cannot remain silent while systemic racism continues to undermine the dignity and safety of Indigenous peoples,” Mackenzie was quoted as saying at the time.

NWT RCMP then released their own statement expressing disappointment with and refuting the Dene Nation’s claims, alleging the man was uncooperative with officers and suffered serious frostbite injuries due to “self-inflicted exposure to the cold.”

Police identified the man arrested as Elias Schiller, saying he was wanted on charges of failing to comply with a release order.

RCMP alleged Schiller was “confrontational with officers and refused to cooperate” when they tried to arrest him on Highway 3 early on December 14. Police said a struggle ensued in which officers used a conducted energy weapon and pepper spray before they were able to handcuff Schiller.

Police claimed Schiller “continued to be uncooperative and belligerent” and refused to get up off the ground and into a police vehicle, despite officers voicing concerns about his wellbeing in -30C weather. RCMP said Schiller physically resisted officers’ attempts to lift him, alleging it took the combined effort of five police officers and paramedics to lift Schiller onto a stretcher and place him in a vehicle.

Charges against Schiller dropped

Following his arrest, RCMP charged Schiller with obstructing police and identity fraud with the intent to avoid arrest or obstruct justice. Police alleged Schiller had provided officers with the false name “Ethan.”

Court records indicate the Crown dropped those charges in February 2026. Schiller was convicted of two counts of failing to comply with a release order.

In a statement, NWT RCMP said they were aware the charges of obstructing police and identity fraud had been dropped. The police force “strives to investigate and bring perpetrators to justice but has no jurisdiction over the judicial process,” RCMP stated.

In response to Cabin Radio’s request for comment on why the charges were withdrawn, Alessia Bongiovanni, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, issued a boilerplate statement referencing a policy that Crown counsel must not proceed with charges if there is “no reasonable prospect of conviction, or it is not in the public interest to pursue the case.”

RCMP told Cabin Radio their review of Schiller’s arrest determined the force used by officers was “appropriate in the circumstances.”

“Policing can be a very dynamic and changing environment, and the responding officers showed patience, professionalism, and constraint while using appropriate force to bring Mr Schiller into custody,” the police force stated.

RCMP said officers are required to complete cultural awareness courses and that it was “not a lack of cultural awareness or inclusion that influenced how the incident was handled, but rather Mr Schiller’s resistance and his refusal to comply with lawful commands of police.”

‘Constructive meeting’

RCMP told Cabin Radio they had a “constructive meeting” with the Dene Nation during which Dene Nation officials were “offered to review the body-worn camera footage of the arrest and obtained a fulsome explanation of circumstances and police procedures as it related to the matter.”

“Both parties committed for better collaboration and open lines of communication in the future,” police said.

RCMP told Cabin Radio they would not publicly disclose the body-worn camera footage of Schiller’s arrest as the release of such footage is “only considered in exceptional circumstances,” adding the Privacy Act permits disclosure when it “clearly outweighs any invasion of privacy or clearly benefits the individual to whom it relates.”

The Dene Nation declined Cabin Radio’s request for comment on the broader outcomes of Schiller’s arrest, stating it was a matter “for Mr Schiller and his team to discuss.”

Schiller’s lawyer did not return Cabin Radio’s requests for comment.

Broadly, officials have acknowledged that systemic racism exists in the RCMP. The police force has committed to Indigenous recruitment efforts and, earlier this year, expanded an initiative to collect race-based data on police interactions to Yellowknie.

Jay Macdonald, the NWT’s justice minister, has said the commander of the NWT RCMP “has an Indigenous advisory committee that he meets with twice annually.”

At a Dene Nation public safety forum in May 2025, delegates passed a resolution calling on the Dene Nation to explore developing an Indigenous policing program in the NWT. Delegates also listened to a presentation outlining some of the requirements for establishing a self-administered First Nation police service.

Schiller was previously sentenced to four years in prison for manslaughter in the 2018 death of Ahmed Mahamud Ali in Yellowknife.

Following his arrest in December 2025, a Dene Nation employee told Cabin Radio Schiller was their son and alleged he had been “harassed” by RCMP since he was released from prison after completing his sentence for manslaughter.

Late last month, police re-arrested Schiller, now 26, following an hours-long operation on Yellowknife’s Williams Avenue.

RCMP said Schiller was wanted on charges including assault, failing to comply with a probation order, possessing property obtained by crime, and possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

He is facing additional charges of resisting police and failing to comply with a probation order in connection to his arrest on June 29.

“This operation has once again demonstrated the risks police face in apprehending this repeat offender,” RCMP stated.