Officer who shot and killed Indigenous man in N.B. did not commit crime: watchdog

New Brunswick’s police watchdog says an RCMP officer did not commit a criminal offence when they shot and killed an Indigenous man in Elsipogtog First Nation last year.

The Serious Incident Response Team said in its report dated April 1 that the officer had used “reasonable force” against a man who was holding three axes in his hands and was a threat.

The report, written by director Erin E. Nauss, says two RCMP officers responded to a 911 call on Sept. 8, 2024, about a man with weapons who wanted to take his own life.

It says when officers arrived to the eastern New Brunswick community, the man was showing signs of intoxication and threw one of the axes toward the officers.

One of the Mounties shot the man after the other failed to subdue him with a stun gun. He was pronounced dead in hospital.

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At the time, provincial Liberal Party Leader Susan Holt, who would become premier months later, identified the victim as Steve “Iggy” Dedam.

The watchdog’s report says there are “no reasonable grounds” to believe the police officer committed a criminal offence, although Nauss says the situation was tragic and the events were exceptionally challenging for everyone.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2025.