Less than five minutes passed between the arrival of two RCMP officers in the remote island First Nations community of Opitsaht and the fatal shooting of a Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation man, according to testimony from Cpl. Daniel Macintosh at a coroner’s inquest. The officers responded to a call around 9 p.m. PT on Feb. 27, 2021, regarding a woman being assaulted and confined in a home.
This inquest is focused on investigating the circumstances surrounding Julian Jones’s death, aiming to provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents without assigning blame or criminality. Const. David Robichaud, who fired the shots that killed Jones, did not appear for testimony as he retired from the RCMP and moved out of the province after receiving a summons.
The Independent Investigations Office did not recommend charges against the officers after conducting an investigation. Jones, who had a history of criminal convictions, including assaulting a Tofino RCMP officer, was restrained from contacting several RCMP officers, including Robichaud, as confirmed by his parole officer David Paruk.
The incident at the Opitsaht residence unfolded rapidly, with Macintosh recounting a brief verbal exchange with Jones before the shooting. Jones was seen wielding metal objects resembling paint sticks and ignored commands to drop them, eventually advancing towards the officers. Robichaud initially fired a Taser, but when Jones persisted, he resorted to using his firearm.
Following the shooting, Macintosh attempted to provide aid but refrained from further intervention upon assessing Jones’s injuries. The officer acknowledged the possibility of alternative outcomes if certain actions had been taken, such as the woman leaving the house upon police arrival or having an additional non-lethal option like a second Taser available.
Macintosh revealed that Robichaud had already planned to transfer out of the Tofino RCMP and promptly left the community after the incident. The inquest proceedings are set to continue on Thursday.
