A standoff that lasted almost half a day in the community of Gitsegukla was resolved peacefully early Saturday afternoon, as the Hazelton RCMP, assisted by the regional Emergency Response Team brought a distraught man into custody.
The call for assistance came in to the New Hazelton RCMP detachment at 3:40 AM on June 27th with a report of an assault involving a male who was determined to be breaching court imposed conditions for similar offences.
As Mounties arrived at the Gitsegukla First Nation Reserve the distraught man had barricaded himself in the residence, with reports provided to the RCMP that he may be in possession of a rifle, a witness further advised that there was a female in the residence as well.
Using a Crisis Negotiator and assisted by a Critical Incident Commander, negotiations took place over the course of several hours to de-escalate the situation, with the surrounding area near the residence blocked off as members from the Hazelton detachment evacuated a number of nearby homes.
The negotiators finally found success at 2:15 Saturday afternoon when the man and woman both exited the residence, with the man subsequently taken into custody by the ERT members without further incident.
After a subsequent search of the residence, RCMP members did not locate any firearms, the investigation into the incident continues on, with the male in custody now facing potential charges.
As the situation wrapped up on Saturday, Staff Sergeant Darren Durnin, the Detachment Commander of the New Hazelton RCMP praised the work and assistance of those in the community during the stressful period of time.
We wish to thank all those in the community who were impacted for their patience, understanding and cooperation during the day. We also wish to extend our thanks for the support and assistance provided by the elected leadership and the volunteer fire department.
More background on the Saturday incident can be explored here.
Further notes of interest related to the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest can be found here.
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